What are the essential qualities that define a good political leader?

According to Doris Kearns Goodwin, character is the most important quality of a good leader, encompassing empathy, resilience, trustworthiness, and ambition for the greater good. She emphasizes that a leader should be someone who can be trusted to keep their word, accept loss gracefully, and have empathy toward people different from them. Goodwin notes that we need leaders whose words can inspire and unite rather than hurt and divide. She argues that trustworthiness is particularly crucial today when public trust in government has eroded. A leader of good character will naturally figure out what the country needs, whereas someone who lacks character but aligns with certain policies cannot be truly trusted to serve the public interest.