At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support his family. At the age of nine, his mother passed away. When he grew up, the young man was keen to go to law school, but had no education.

At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. At 23, he ran for state legislature and lost. The same year, he went into business. It failed, leaving him with a debt that took him 17 years to repay. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown.

Two years later, he tried for the post of speaker in his state legislature. He lost. At 31, he was defeated in his attempt to become an elector. By 35, he had been defeated twice running for Congress. Finally, he managed to secure a brief term in Congress, but at 39, he lost his reelection bid.

At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 42, he was rejected as a prospective land officer. At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. Two years later, he lost the vice presidential nomination. At 49, he ran for the Senate and lost again.

At 51, he was elected president of the United States of America.

The man in question: Abraham Lincoln.

This amazing story exemplifies patience, persistence and perseverance—qualities often associated with great leaders. But what else does it take to reveal the leader inside each of us? One prerequisite is to remove self-imposed obstacles like fear, self-doubt and lack of confidence that keep leadership qualities from emerging and flourishing. As with Mr. Lincoln, it’s not a question of whether you have what it takes to be a leader, but whether you have the courage to answer the leadership challenge.

There is no set formula for leadership, and effective styles vary as widely as individual personalities. Explore the links below to discover the characteristics of great leaders and recognize the leadership characteristics in you.

Values, Attitudes, Skills