What does a true leader look like?

The Worthy Leader

The word “leader” comes from the Old English word lædere, which meant “one who leads or conducts.”

Here’s a quick breakdown of the etymology:

• Root: From Old English lædan, meaning “to guide, bring forth, carry, or lead.”

• This verb traces even further back to Proto-Germanic laithjan, which carried the sense of “to go before as a guide.”

• Ultimately, from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root leit-, meaning “to go forth” or “to cross a threshold.”

The word “leader” in the noun form (someone who leads) began to appear in Middle English around the 14th century, but it didn’t become common in the modern sense of an influential figure or head of a group until the 15th–16th centuries.

As Machiavelli describes in his book The Prince, there are various archetypes of leaders.

Some examples include:

• The Lion – bold, dominant, uses strength and fear.

• The Fox – strategic, cunning, wins through intelligence.

• The Servant Leader – leads through service and empathy.

• The Visionary – inspires with big ideas and future thinking.

• The Transactional Leader – leads through clear goals, rewards, and performance.

My personal experience.