The most critical qualities are honesty, vision, and accountability. Honesty incorporates honoring commitments to electorates and upholding ethical standards while in office. Politicians have set a low bar regarding honesty where they dismiss their pledges towards the voters by abandoning projects. Successful governors should exercise high ethical standards by being transparent regarding their commitments and avoiding political promises that cannot be fulfilled (Aichholzer & Willmann, 2020). Honesty inspires a greater sense of trust and integrity among the electorates since it shows leaders hold to their basic ethical principles and follow their moral convictions.
The second quality is being visionary, where leaders can provide an outlook for the future and the strategies to achieve the vision. It is prudent for governors to define future issues and provide a strategy for the electorates to follow regardless of the challenges they face. For example, a successful governor should provide insight into the changing market dynamics regarding job losses and wage reductions in the construction industry. A leader should chart strategies to alleviate this challenge by providing opportunities for skill development and enhanced education levels. Good leaders should also be accountable for a project result, whether good or bad. Accountability incorporates taking responsibility for an employee’s actions, taking credit where due, and accepting criticism where wrong. Accountable leaders make difficult decisions thus should be responsible for the success or failure of the decisions.
These qualities are crucial for the success of a leader since they resonate with the electorate. Honesty breeds trust among the electorates regarding an honest leader, while vision brings open-mindedness and diplomacy to achieve the set goals. Accountability is essential since a leader is aware of the responsibility thus communicates goals effectively. I would vote for a leader with these qualities regardless of my political ideology since they lead to open-mindedness where conflicting political ideologies can cohabitate. In addition, most electorates often decide on the best-suited leader in terms of qualities, not based on different political ideologies.