My experience suggests that most managers are probably very good at looking after things but not very good at looking after people

Even worse, most managers are poor at motivating people.

Why?

Because they treat them as things or objects to be arranged or scheduled or ordered or categorized or anything but led.

And therein lies the heart of the problem:

I believe that a Leader needs only three qualifications:

a clearly stated destination or objective

awareness (amongst followers) that the destination is worth reaching

a clear likelihood of reaching the destination

The third element is crucial - it is clearly not enough just to say "come with me to the Promised Land" if the prospective followers do not believe that the would-be leader has any chance of getting there or if they believe the destination will not be worth reaching.

The reality of the third Leadership issue is that the would-be leader must be charismatic. I suggest that Charisma is the single most important quality of a Leader. Think of the following Leaders and mentally review their undoubted charismatic appeal (try not to be put off because you disagree with their objective - this does not make them less of a Leader):

Adolf Hitler

Margaret Thatcher

Winston Churchill

Ghandi

Jesus Christ

Now consider these great people who just did not make it as Leaders - not because they lacked the first two elements but because of a lack of charisma:

Mother Theresa

Jimmy Carter