A good friend of mine and I were chatting about leadership qualities desired in project managers within the Software/IT industry. He quoted me these following 11 steps, taken from his time in the military. I thought I'd share them, and leave a reference for myself for the next time I catch myself answering the question "what makes a good leader?"
The 11 Principles of Leadership
1. Know yourself and seek self-improvement.
2. Be technically and tactically proficient.
3. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions.
4. Make sound and timely decisions.
5. Set the example.
6. Know your soldiers and look out for their well being.
7. Keep your subordinates informed.
8. Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates.
9. Ensure the task is understood, supervised and accomplished.
10. Build the team.
11. Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities.
BTW, leadership is not just limited to management, everyone in an organization, from the CEO down to the janitor has the potential to be a leader - if you have no "soldiers" in your command then apply rules above to yourself.