Character Motivation Entry: Being a Leader of Others

Human Need Driving the Goal (Inner Motivation): physiological needs, safety and security, esteem and recognition, self-actualization

How the Character May Prepare for This Goal: 

• Obtaining a mentor
• Rallying support to run for office or vouch for one’s strengths (if needed)
• Seeking out experts who best understand the needs of those one will lead
• Surrounding oneself with legacy advisors to ensure critical knowledge is not lost
• Meeting with the citizens or people one wishes to lead to better understand their needs and concerns
• Obtaining any necessary training or education to be more effective in one’s role (accounting, leadership training, public speaking, economics, government processes, learning the laws and HR practices associated with the position, etc.)
• Practicing active listening skills as well as learning how to negotiate and act with diplomacy
• Understanding and respecting the values of the company one will work for (or the people one will serve)
• Learning to shelve one’s ego and put the needs of one’s charges about one’s own
• Bringing on capable, trusted aides so one may delegate tasks and better manage situations effectively
• Understand the difference between inspiring people and strong-arming them through fear tactics and punishments
• Making informed decisions that benefit the many and do the least harm
• Owning one’s mistakes and learning from them
• Understanding that collaboration and showing respect are important aspects of governance or leadership at any level
• Learning how to become more open-minded, to listen to feedback and council,  and understand that being a leader and being an expert are not the same thing

Possible Sacrifices or Costs Associated With This Goal: 

• Being overworked and over-stressed
• Being held accountable when things go wrong
• A poor work and home life balance
• Being unable to afford the luxury of “bad behavior” (losing one’s temper, childish outbursts, getting drunk, etc.) as one is always in the spotlight and expected to hold the dignity of one’s position at all times
• Relationship issues (due to neglect of one’s spouse or children, the amount of commitments associated with one’s job, having no energy for family time, etc.)
• One’s kids growing distant because one is never around
• Missing special moments because one is at work (birthdays, a child’s concert, etc.)
• Backlash from rivals and critics who wish one to fail
• Making a decision that turns out to be the wrong one, leading to costly (and highly publicized) repercussions
• Having little to no time for hobbies and interests
• Having one’s actions constantly scrutinized by other important entities (a board of directors, leaders at the peer level, one’s constituents, etc.)
• Not getting enough sleep or exercise; developing poor eating habits
• Increased risk of health issues (especially those tied to stress)

Roadblocks Which Could Prevent This Goal from Being Achieved: 

• Skeletons coming out of the closet and damaging one’s reputation (an affair, taking a bribe, a video that casts one in an unfavorable light, etc.)
• An addiction that causes one to be unreliable and irritable
• Competition from someone who is equally as suited for the position
• A lack of skills or experience in a critical area
• Lacking a willingness to learn or adapt; being set in one’s ways
• Losing the faith of one’s people (employees, a group of members, citizens of a country, etc.)
• Doing things that make people question if one is trustworthy (being secretive, not being transparent in one’s dealings, lying and stretching the truth, etc.)
• Not having enough faith in oneself, low self-confidence that makes one not seem to be “leadership material”
• Having a lack of an imagination or creativity
• An illness or accident that impairs one’s ability to lead
• A scandal emerging that is blasted all over the media
• An inability to sacrifice one’s own desires for the needs of others
• Assembling an inept team that is sure to fail (and likely cause a lot of fallout)
• Refusing to be accountable, or learn from one’s mistakes
• Trying to do everything oneself rather than delegate to competent parties
• Being emotionally immature or volatile

Talents & Skills That Will Help the Character Achieve This Goal:

• A Knack for Languages
• Good Listening Skills
• Blending In
• Gaining the Trust of Others
• ESP (Clairvoyance)
• Empathy
• Enhanced Hearing
• Enhanced Sense of Smell
• Enhanced Taste Buds
• Charm
• Hospitality
• Lip-Reading
• Lying
• Making People Laugh
• Mentalism
• A Knack for Making Money
• Mimicking
• Multitasking
• Organization
• Photographic Memory
• Promotion
• Reading People
• Strategic Thinking

Possible Fallout For the Protagonist if This Goal Is Not Met:

• The disappointment of losing and letting one’s supporters down
• Being unable to affect change at the leadership level
• Frustration with the direction another leader steers the organization or group
• Feeling unfulfilled and needing to seek how to apply one’s skills elsewhere
• A loss of control; putting one’s fate (and possibly one’s physical well-being) in another hands

• The power-motivated candidate for leadership who is completely unsuited for the position yet somehow ends up in the running
• A candidate who tries to strong-arm into the position using one’s family’s power and influence
• A David and Goliath situation where one rival has all the influence and advantages while the other has grit and ingenuity