Jimmy Carter and Leadership

I saw Jimmy Carter speak last week at the Washington Post on his new book, "A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power." As a past President, Nobel Prize winner, and the founder of the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter is an example to me of someone who is still pushing the envelope. While you may not agree with everything that he has to say the following traits are signs to me of a great leader:

• Pushing the boundaries - at the age of 89 Jimmy Carter is taking on an issue that many people have not been talking about or do not want to talk about - the subjugation and abuse of women. He is creating a vision of a call to action around the topic and pushing for the equality of treatment of women around the world.
• Inviting others to join his cause - Carter is doing a large media blitz around his new book to push the cause and call others into to joining him. His book provides ways for others to get involved and really take a stand.
• Leading by example - he is a model of behavior as he when he was Governor of Georgia he  appointed more women and minorities to his staff, major state boards and agencies, and the judiciary than all of his predecessors combined.

How can you add some of these traits into your leadership style?