I’m often asked: “Are leaders born or made?’ My answer’s always “both.” In more than four decades in the workforce, the majority in the military and law enforcement, I’ve found that good leaders have both a God-given ability to persuade and have received some pretty good leadership training along the way.

The basic definition of a leader is “someone who has followers.” Let’s face it: if no one’s following you, you’re not a leader. John Maxwell, considered America’s foremost authority on leadership, says: “If you think you’re leading but no one is following you, you’re just out for a walk.”

So what’s the secret of good leadership? By definition, a secret is “something not known by others.” In some sense, a secret is a bit of a mystery. In his classic business book, “Good to Great,” Jim Collins discovered the secret to good leadership was something quite different from what most people thought it was. He discovered that good leadership had nothing to do with being charismatic or charming, like the knight in shining armor. The leaders of the companies Collins studied were often quite the opposite. Collins found one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to leadership, but there are some common characteristics of good leaders that are worth noting.

Good Leaders Have Passion

This characteristic of a leader isn’t something that comes and goes. Good leaders are passionate about what they do. It’s impossible to inspire others unless you’re inspired yourself. Good leaders are passionate about everything. They love life because they love what they do. What most people see as a problem or serious difficulty, leaders see as a challenge. Good leaders understand that life is often difficult, that there are seldom easy answers and, more often than not, the easy button is often difficult to find.

Good Leaders Have Vision

Good leaders see what others don’t. What others see as a pile of rocks good leaders see as a cathedral. Good leaders see what’s yet to be. Remember, people follow leaders because they trust them. They trust them because a good leader can create a compelling vision for what’s to be accomplished or achieved.

Shortly after Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft, he was having second thoughts. Bill Gates took Ballmer to dinner and shared his vision for the company – a computer on every desk, in every home in America. That vision helped convince Ballmer he was much more than just a bean counter for a start-up software company; he was on the front end of a computer revolution.

Good Leaders Invite Participation

Ken Blanchard is famous for saying: “None of us is as smart as all of us.” Good leaders inspire employees and customers alike to become part of building a great company. They invite participation, solicit feedback and then actively incorporate what they’ve heard. The old days of command and control are over. With four generations in the workplace now, and two of them being “why” kind of people – the old days of “because I said so” are over.

Good Leaders Encourage and Develop Potential

Good leaders are people praisers. They make a practice of catching people in the act of doing something right and praising them for it. Good leaders are anxious to invest in human capital. They understand that the right people – in the right positions – are their most important asset, and they develop their potential in those key positions.

Good leaders aren’t afraid to hire people who might be smarter than they are. Henry Ford is quoted as saying: “I don’t have to know how to build an automobile; I just have to hire people who do.”

Having passion, vision, inviting participation and developing potential are four characteristics of a good – even a great – leader. These characteristics unlock the mysteries of creating something great in both the workplace and at home.