This article written by Brig Gen Shafaat Ahmad, ndc, psc (Retired) is published by Wayback Machine. Here is an excerpt:

We have just celebrated our 36th Independence Anniversary. Our cricket team has given the country an Independence Day gift in the guise of moving into the Super-eight stage of the ICC World Cup. What have our leaders given us on this auspicious day? During the last 36 years, we had leaders who had almost unflinching support of the people to carry out their programme for the development of the country. Instead we are in such a mess that special measures had to be taken to put things right. We had five leaders who have steered the nation so far. They are Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman, Hussain Mohammad Ershad, Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina. They have put their indelible mark on the body politic of Bangladesh. But what are those marks? How much do they inspire us? How much can we learn from them? Can they be our idol?

Leaders of nations have much more responsibility than any other type of leader. First of all, every leader must have some important character qualities, which are: honesty, truthfulness, contentment and humility. Leaders of nations have to motivate their people and their nation, inspire them, infuse confidence into them, and generate in them a spirit and urge to perform. This a leader can achieve through personal examples. A nation must see the leader perform up front. Only then will the people be prepared to follow him/her because of sheer respect and esteem for the leader.

Another aspect of the national leader’s quality is to understand the environment with all its intricacies in which he/she is working. Once the leader has taken grasp of the environment he/she should select the team with whom the leader will work. A leader must evaluate the tasks ahead, prioritize them and then evolve strategies for addressing them. Now the leader has to explain his/her policy to the nation and then carry them along to accomplish the task that he/she has set.

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