The qualities that make a good leader are as varied as the people in leadership roles. Some leaders are not overly dynamic but somehow manage to get the best out of people, while others seem to be too carefree to take them seriously. What is it then that makes leaders who they are? A personal leadership philosophy is that distinctive trait that every leader possesses. What these leadership characteristics and behaviors are will be explored in the following text, along with what I believe is the best path to follow as I work on developing my own leadership philosophy. A personal philosophy is essentially how someone sees the world. Each person has a different worldview, and culture and education shape the way people think and act. A personal leadership philosophy is about taking that worldview and applying it to leadership. Because leadership is about getting the best out of people; a leadership philosophy would be a plan by the leader to get the best out of the people the leader leads. Personal leadership philosophies are unique to each individual just as each person in the world is unique. A personal leadership philosophy is like a road map, without it leaders would drift without any sense of direction. If a leader lacks a sense of direction, it would be impossible for an organization to follow him anywhere simply because it would be impossible to set goals and provide direction without having a leadership philosophy. I spent many years without a plan and there is no doubt it has negatively affected my life. I recently formulated goals and figured out who I am, what I do best, and how to use my strengths to get my life in order first. Without a doubt... middle of the paper... that you maintain your integrity as an example for your subordinates to follow. Developing a personal leadership philosophy is essential for every leader to establish before becoming a leader. A leader should be aware of his or her own strengths and weaknesses and then develop a philosophy that best suits that leader's personality traits and strengths as a person. Leaders must have their own personal philosophy established before becoming a leader because once you are in a leadership position it is time to lead others, it is not time to determine what philosophy would be best to use to lead. I firmly believe that a personal leadership philosophy should be fluid as the leader continues to learn about leadership and people throughout the leader's career, but the four core principles of integrity, ethics, positive attitude and honesty must remain constant.