#7. Be able to lead.

Continuing with What should an educated citizen be able to do: BE ABLE TO LEAD.
Leadership is something that is a learned activity. Most people start out in life as a follower. After many experiences they "learn" that they have already accomplished the new activity and know the best way to acheive it. So they help people acheive the goal. In helping others, they learn what works in acheiving success and add those success activities to their frame of reference for future use.
The most important item in leadership however is: LEAD BY EXAMPLE. As a parent, if you want to instill character in your child, you show the item all the time in your activity. For example: You and your 13 year old go to the movies. You get to the ticket seller. You see that children 12 and under pay less for a ticket. Do you pay the lesser amount for your 13 year old because he looks 11, or do you pay the rate for a 13 year old. When you pay the lesser amount you are showing your child that you: 1) Have no character, 2)should bend the rules to meet your pocketbook. You are not leading by example. If you pay the higher fee and child asks, "Dad, why didn't you pay the lower amount, I look 11?" That is when you go into your lead by example speech.
Leading by example is important in all ways of life, including political. The people of America are finding their elected representatives are not leading by example when they fall behind their "party" and voting in a bloc to stop legislation. Representatives are supposed to vote for the Greater Good, not for how much power their political party gathers.
Leading by example is what a leader does to have others follow. Officers in combat must have the confidence of their men for them to follow his orders. He must lead them into battle and show courage if he expects his men to follow. Would you follow a leader into battle if you knew he did not know what he is doing?