Week 184

Positive post Sunday, August 30, 2020- Week 184. 

On June 7th, I wrote about leadership during a crisis, noting that I have had the privilege of working with many excellent leaders during our fight against COVID-19. This week I was planning to write about the traits of strong and successful leaders, whether during a crisis or calmer times. As I was going back through my many leadership books, classes and articles on leadership to develop my own list of key traits I believe all leaders should aspire to possess, my research led be back to Robert Glazer, Founder & CEO, Acceleration Partners once again this week. 

Coincidently, Robert was also reviewing lists he had saved related to the characteristics of historically great leaders across many disciplines in life. He developed the list of 10 leadership qualities below. I would add Influence to Robert’s list. All great leaders I have had the benefit of working with have an uncanny ability to influence others, likely because they also possess the other qualities listed below. 

If you really want to test your ability to lead, lead a group of volunteers that don’t have to be there and can leave at any time without impact on themselves. Your ability to keep them volunteering and motivated for the cause (whatever it may be) will require all these traits. My favorite example is leading the Redlands Bicycle Classic (RBC) for several years. I had the honor of leading a group of passionate community leaders who volunteered their time to put on a world class cycling event each year. As I look through the list below, I had to demonstrate each of these traits multiple times during my tenure as president. I was so thankful that so many generously voluntarily shared their time, talent and treasures when they could have walked away at any time. As a member of the “all volunteer” RBC organizing committee, they are all now part of cycling history. They have successfully put on one of the most revered cycling events in the country for 35 years. I have been honored to be a part of, and lead, this impressive group of volunteers for many years. Although, due to the pandemic, the RBC was cancelled this year, I can’t wait to support the 2021 event.

Here’s Robert’s list of 10 leadership qualities:

1. Integrity: People want leaders they can trust to act for the greater good and tell the truth. We want leaders who act according to their stated principles, are honest with us and keep their word.

2. Humility: As we shift away from command and control leadership, we gravitate toward leaders who are approachable and don’t hold themselves above others. When leaders show humility and vulnerability, others instinctively want to work with them to achieve their goals.

3. Empowering Others: Great leaders trust the people on their team and coach them to make important decisions without micromanagement. They don’t do everything themselves—instead, they set clear vision and values, and direct others to work according to those guiding principles.
 

4. Great Communication: Leaders must communicate well, both to move others to action and to ensure their directives are well-understood. It’s no surprise that we often celebrate leaders who deliver historic speeches or impactful quotes. Great leaders also give their teams the information they need to excel.

5. Forward-Thinking: A great leader sets a compelling vision for the future, attracting and convincing others to want to join their movement. These leaders are capable of sharing their vision with clarity and specificity, and they are passionate about the execution of those goals.

6. Empathy: We want our leaders to demonstrate empathy and an ability to relate to those they lead, especially in moments of crisis. A leader cannot effectively lead someone if they fail to understand their fundamental needs, and if they cannot connect others’ fulfillment to their own.

7. Competence: Leaders must be capable of doing the job at hand and surround themselves with competent people. Competent leaders don’t know how to do everything but are skilled at identifying people whose abilities complement their own and bringing them into the fold. They also aren’t afraid to hire people who are smarter than they are.

8. Accountable: Great leaders have a “the buck stops here,” mentality. History is filled with leaders who credit their teams for their successes and accept personal responsibility for the team’s failures. Poor leaders do the opposite, taking credit for their teams’ accomplishments and distancing themselves from accountability.

9. Gratitude: One of the core responsibilities of a leader is to consider the needs of the many. A mindset of gratitude pushes leaders to focus less on themselves and more on how they can value and strengthen others.
 

10. Self-Awareness: Leaders must be aware of their own strengths and limitations. They have to build a team that magnifies their strengths and limits their weaknesses. Leaders are also open to criticism and willing to do the sometimes-painful work required to improve.
Robert also provides a thoughtful quote from Andrew Carnegie, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.”

What’s missing from Robert’s list? What’s on your list of top qualities of effective leaders?