ILX2 Leaders You Admire

I started taking this course, ILX2 Inclusive Leadership Training: Becoming a Successful Leader via edX.

I will be posting my responses and discussions here for the sake of preservation.

Question:
Which leaders do you look up to? Which leaders do you admire? Which leaders inspire you? And why?
Choose a leader or leaders you admire. These leaders could be anyone—a parent, a teacher, someone in your family, someone you work for, a famous leader (living or dead).
What makes their leadership special to you? What leadership attributes do you admire in these leaders?

Response:
The leaders I admire most in my life are: my boss, Cassandra, my Zen teacher, Michael, and my favorite famous philosopher, Alan Watts.

Cassandra is a great communicator, handles unexpected circumstances and pressure very well,  despite whatever is happening in her personal life, and always shows appreciation for her employees. She is able to recognize talent and encourages her team to do a great job every day.

Michael values tradition, practice, and clarity of mind, and exemplifies it in his presence at all times. He is very wise and always knows the best thing to say in response to any situation.

Alan Watts has an incredible command of language, speaks like a true storyteller, expressing everything with profound and vivid effect, whatever idea or concept is the subject at hand. He is able to bring a big-picture perception into every aspect of life.

All three are very honest, sometimes brutally so, never deceive, and easily cut through the bullshit to get down to what really matters - being true to yourself, doing great work for the sake of the world, not taking life too seriously, and ultimately, the pursuit of truth.