"Leaders are created, not born", Vince Lombardi. Simple quote, but it's true to be an effective leader. Everyone believes they have the qualities to be an effective leader and manage an organization and its people. Many leaders believe they possess the right qualities as a leader and because of their level and title. But if people really knew, then why do organizations let their leader go, i.e. what did Apple do? to Steve Jobs in 1985? Even when a leader pushes control too far and creates situations that spiral out of control, such as Richard Nixon's resignation from the presidency in 1974. In the following text, I will delve into what I believe is an effective leadership process, take cues from leaders failures and uses some real examples of successful leaders. This list will not be extensive or definitive, but it will touch on what I believe should be the cornerstone of a leader's profile. After reading this you may realize that you don't have the qualities of a leader or better yet, that you actually have them all. Are you ready to trust the articles I'm about to write? If so, then you are recognizing the first trait of an effective leader. Trust is essentially the backbone of a leader. Without trust, they would not be able to gain the trust of loyal followers. “Trust is the foundation on which credibility is built. To gain and sustain credibility, leaders must know their constituents and let them know them” (Kouzes, 2011). In the revised book Credibility: How Leaders Gain and Lose It, Why People Demand It, James Kouzes writes about the important trait of trust and credibility that a leader must develop and how... middle of paper.... ..s leaders I have witnessed and come into contact with. These characteristics are also some of my characteristics that I believe have made me an effective leader and an effective leader in training. Ultimately, the hope is that with these characteristics an effective leader can model and create other effective leaders. Works Cited Gosling, J., & Mintzberg, H. (2003). The five minds of a manager. Harvard Business Review, 54-63.Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (1993). Credibility. San Francisco, California: John Wiley and Sons. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2011). Credibility: How leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons. Morrison, E. (1994). Leadership skills: Developing volunteers for organizational success. Da Capo Press.O'Hair, D., Friedrich, G., & Dee Dixon, L. (2007). Strategic communication in business and professions. Pearson Education.