For a leader to be a leader, he must start by assuming that you are the one who matters most. As a leader, you must have that level of self-confidence that allows you to lead yourself “before you can lead others.” And when you develop this belief, you are then more able to exert a positive influence “on others”. A leader must “believe” in himself and have the confidence that everything you say will excite and that what you do can motivate others. You have to be optimistic about what you do, have some relevance to exist. Believe it or not, “leadership starts with you.” Therefore, the five practices of exemplary leadership are:1. Lead the way – “lead by example” and demonstrate the concepts of how individuals should be treated and how our aspirations should be followed.2. Inspire a shared vision – leaders believe they can make a difference by getting others excited and involved in their dream and future possibilities.3. Question the process – the leader looks for unusual ways to improve the organization by taking risks and experimenting, thus viewing inevitable disappointments as learning opportunities.4. Empower others to act – leaders actively engage individuals and work to generate an atmosphere of trust and self-esteem.5. Encourage the heart – leaders value the contributions of individuals and allow them to share in the rewards of their efforts. Therefore, leaders celebrate achievements. The two people in my life who have been role models of leadership are Mrs. Paulette Ambursley – DirectorMrs. Paulette Ambursley's nurturing attitude and idealized influence pale in comparison to her creativity. She...... middle of paper...... puts all her effort into it and they give beyond their expectations because they want the result to be good, because results matter. The leader generates work that meets commitment and generates results that exceed and go beyond normal requirements (Lord & Maher, 1991). Works cited Kouzes, J. and Posner B. (2010). The truth about leadership. Jossey-Bass Lind, E., (1993). Resolving disputes between individuals and businesses: using procedural fairness as a decision-making heuristic. Administrative Science Quarterly. Lord, RG and Maher, KJ (1991). Leadership and information processing: linking perceptions and performance. xi, MA, USA: Unwin Hyman. Van Den Bos, K. (2002). On the subjective quality of social justice: the role of affect as information in the psychology of justice judgments. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.