If you Google “what qualities all great leaders possess” you’ll find a myriad of answers. Everyone is an expert on what it takes, yet not everyone agrees on what characteristics are most important or interprets actions in the same way.
For example… inc.com lists the 5 essential characteristics of an effective leader as 1. Clarity, 2. Decisiveness, 3. Courage, 4. Passion, and 5. Humility. Makes sense… right? The challenge, however, is how the people being led interpret or perceive the leader’s attributes, and how much weight they put on each trait.
Take our last two presidents for example…
Obviously, when the people of the United States of America chose their leader in 2020, they either didn’t follow inc.com’s list of what it takes to be a successful leader; they interpreted the candidate’s characteristics differently; or they believe those 5 things are less important than other attributes not mentioned. Because let’s face it… the only thing Biden wins on hand’s down from that list is humility.
I think honesty and integrity are pretty darned important qualities in a leader no matter if the person is leading a country or acting as a supervisor in a factory. What about accountability… empathy… communication… being punctual (NOT PROCRASTINATING)? How about learning agility and influence? The only reason these “leadership lists” have a specific number (3, 6, 7, 10 characteristics) is because the title generates more hits from visitors.
Isn’t it really just about me and you and how we interpret promise and performance?
Merida leads Dharma. Her promise is she will pester and bully to accomplish goals… and she performs with the highest level of expertise and consistency. That makes her an effective and successful leader. 🙂
TIL (Today I Learned): Kari’s Law was enacted in 2013 after a woman was murdered in a hotel room by her husband while her 9 year-old daughter tried to call 911 four times. The calls didn’t go through because the hotel phones required all calls to start with 9 (making it 9911). Kari’s Law changed that — you can now call 911 without the outside line “9” preface from US hotels.