What are the most important characteristics of a respected and successful leader ?
Recently I read an article defining the followings as the most important characteristics of a successful and respected leader.
(1) Ethical
(2) Inspirational
(3) Innovative
(4) Dedicated
(5) Knowledgeable
Needless to say that they’re all important …… but , If you had to “reprogram” your own mental OS (operational system) to improve your own professional aptitude, how would you input it ? (by importance)
It was very hard to decide about my sequence but here they are ….
3,2,5,1,4
Please fell free to explain or just giving the number sequence.
Edison Reis
www.QualityAssuranceManagement.com
Tags: Leader characteristcs, True leader
December 7th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Leaders role in any organization is a partnering effort both internal (with colleagues) and external (partner/customer ecosys).
I would state the following 3 key ingredients are a definite must for a successful leader, along with ones stated by Edison.
Mutual Respect / Value Add / Integrity ( in no order of preference).
Cheers…Srikanth
December 7th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
A very interesting proposition. If I were to imbark upon a formal upgrade of my own mental OS I would have to work in the following order: 2 - 3 - 5 - 4 - 1.
I have a tendency to be focused on the task at hand a low key person. Being inspirational takes charisma and that is my number one priority to improve myself. I need to be more outgoing.
Innovation is next because it is so easy to fall into the this is what we’ve always done routine.
None of this does any good if you don’t pick up the necessary knowledge to be innovative and get excited about it.
Dedication and Ethics have always been important to me and that is why they are at the end of the improvement sequence because I’m just arrogant enough to believe that I am both.
Jeff
December 7th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
there is a dilemma in your question:
as every question determines the answer, to be a leader you should be respected and successful. right?
there is one characteristic of a successful leader: serve!
because everybody is a leader, in different ways of course, it would be hard for us to define them according to some numbers, or the order of the numbers.
hope that helps.
Lucian Hojda
December 7th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Hi Edison,
I have identified ten rules or qualities to describe to whom could be a perfect leader. It is very rare that all the qualities meets concurrently in any professional, and for this reason a perfect leader is so scarce, valuable and hard to find in the corporate landscape. Let see us:
1. A leader is an inspirational manager, a passionate individual and a proactive professional who due to his/her talent and vision is usually a benchmark to other co-workers, who want be successful like him/her and learn to be influential in the enterprise’s framework.
2. A leader has developed throughout him/her an outstanding talent to display creatively his/her creativity, has the willpower to introduce enterprise innovation and the eagerness to develop strategies to boost financial performance, increase market share and enhance consistently business competitive positioning.
3. Self-motivation to learn, being disciplined and by making the hard-work implied in building a solid personal image based on his/her results as a successful manager, politician, businessman and the like.
4. A leader should have solid and reliable ethical principles and values that apply consistently being able to inspire virtue, correctness and righteousness in others. In just one word he/she shines in just one especial quality: Integrity.
5. A leader has the willingness to feel him/her encouraged and face proactively any kind of situation nevertheless of the risk and cost involved. Additionally, a true leader has the empowerment and charisma needed to motivate to others in the achievement of these goals no matter how challenging and tough these could be.
6. An effective leader is by nature a self-confident person who has the courage to overcome doubts, uncertainties and fears while being upbeat even beyond of him/her personal limitations, business constraints, odd appreciations and envy of co-workers.
7. Open mindset and humility to learn effectively from mistakes or failures, and by this way internalize experiences that can be used advantageously in life, business and/or management.
8. When a disruptive change is near to come an exceptional leader has remarkable sensitivity to anticipate it, intuitiveness to capture its real meaning and the ability to turn what it seems to be an apparent menace in a true opportunity to learn, assume, decide and succeed.
9. A real leader is curious about what is happening in a global context, while being enabled to correlate any different and apparently unrelated facts in two or more domains in society, business or management and become them in tactical moves for developing a successful strategy.
10. A real leader is a driving force to catalyze effective changes in an enterprise-wide context, is an instrumental one to provide wealth, social progress and economical well-being, and is a professional who has been successful to break the moulds and stereotypes imposed restrictively by our society and our business environment.
Relevant to your question, I am including links to 3 questions, I have posted time ago in Linkedin Answers:
1. Can a manager who has high emotional intelligence become in a true leader?
2. Is Leadership just the art of Management with Charisma and Assertiveness?
3. How leaders may confront positively their fears?
I hope this helps you.
Octavio
Links:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/mentoring/CAR_MEN/326556-933031
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_ODV/189100-933031
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_ODV/306830-933031
December 7th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
I would say all the characteristics mentioned above plus more will have no sequence…a leader is a leader when he knows when and how to use these characteristics means……..
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS will make a gr8 leader.
TC,
Malvina Ashok
December 7th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
3,5,3,1,4
I would say that courage and vision are in my real top 5. Often where leaders have to go they are in the minority so courage is critical
Brian Reed
December 7th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Edison,
3-4-2-1-5
The most important characteristic of leaders is simply …. followers.
He who would be first shall be last.
As they say at Hard Rock…. Love All … Serve All !!!
Marc
December 7th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
My order for those traits would be 1-3-2-5-4 … but there are many other attributes of what I call a truly “Futuristic Leader”, which I addressed in my book “Futuristic Leadership” (2004). It describes 26 traits of futuristic leadership. The following extract from the Preface summarizes the 26 traits (in block CAPS).
Futuristic leaders literally “see” the future and make it happen. They enable others to see it, motivate them to venture there, lead them there, reward them when they get there, and celebrate their collective success. They are true leaders who understand the A-Z of winning the future.
Futuristic leaders ACHIEVE results because they truly BELIEVE a different future is possible. They CHANGE their own and their organization’s behavior, habits, and culture, in order to obtain their collective DREAM.
Futuristic leaders fully EXPECT to reach their goal — and also fully “expect the unexpected” along the way — because they unswervingly FOCUS on that goal.
Aware that reaching the future requires that they and their organizations GROW — both mentally and spiritually — futuristic leaders HEAR things: they listen intently for clues and pieces of vital information that will guide them in that growth.
Futuristic leaders vividly IMAGINE what the future will be like, what needs to change to get there, and how the charted course might need to vary along the route.
They JUSTIFY their mission, not only based on profitable returns, but in the proper ethics and values that will bring it to fruition.
Futuristic leaders KNOW both what they know and what they don’t know, and what more they and their teams will still need to know in the future. They constantly LEARN, day by day, decision by decision, as they move forward.
Futuristic leaders MOTIVATE themselves, and inspire those around them to do the same, to adventurously NAVIGATE previously uncharted territory. They ORGANIZE and optimize every available capacity and resource to help them PERSEVERE until every part of the mission is accomplished.
Futuristic leaders always QUESTION their advisors, their information, and themselves. Then they can best RESPOND to challenges and opportunities in ways that STRATEGIZE the most responsible and best possible future outcomes.
Futuristic leaders TEACH everything they know to the highest-qualified teams of individuals. They UPLIFT them to VISUALIZE and drive towards their collective future.
As well, in today’s “webolutionary” Internet Age, futuristic leaders encourage their teams to literally WEBIFY their organizations into value-creating networks, or “biznets.”
Futuristic leaders also XEROGRAPH themselves: they “clone” or duplicate their own abilities and processes in others, to ensure ongoing growth and continuity through yet another generation of futuristic leaders.
Finally, futuristic leaders repeatedly YIELD consistent and spectacular results, and ZOOM their organizations speedily to ever-succeeding peaks of success.
There are obvious interconnections between these 26 verbs. Futuristic leadership is a dynamic A-Z synergy of seeing the whole future — and then making it happen in the most expeditious and responsible way.
Futuristic leaders stride boldly forward, guided by trends. They always plant one foot in the future,.regularly stand in the future, take a good look around, scout the best options, and feel comfortable there. They virtually live there.
Futuristic leaders traverse a past-present-future time continuum. They surf across the sweep of time, creating change and making strategic decisions about how best to navigate their organization’s optimal future.
Peter Drucker said “You cannot manage change; you can only be ahead of it.” Yet most so-called leaders are caught by surprise, even oblivious to change. Futuristic leaders don’t just manage change, they create it.
Frank Feather
December 7th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
I would need to add a few things to the list first:
1. Service and servanthood - the greatest leaders exist to serve others
2. Life Purpose - if you don’t know why you are here, how do you know what to engage in (and we do best what is in alignment with what we want and need to do)
3. Vision - what is my vision of the world I live in (helps me align with my purpose)
4. Mission - what part do I play in the world that my vision describes
5. Goals - what steps / action items can I take towards measurable outcomes - the small and big steps that help me achieve my mission (which in turn helps me manifest the vision I see, which in turn helps me answer the question - what is my purpose).
Within the context of executing that model, I return to your 5 criteria and would order them this way.
4 - Dedicated - I am all in this or not in it at all. If I am not dedicated in good times and in bad, the rest of the stuff falls apart anyway.
1 - Ethical - If I am not ethical, all of the other stuff is built on a house of cards. We have seen a number of personal examples where people who “had it all” lost it when their ethical foundation came apart.
2 - Inspirational - we can’t do this stuff by ourselves. We need to motivate others to get into congruence with our vision and mission and inspire others to execute towards common goals.
5 Knowledgeable - How we envision, motivate, inspire, execute, recover from failure, etc is critical but specific knowledge may or may not be important, depending on who else we have inspired to join us (someone else may have the knowledge needed for success).
3 Innovative - always important but remember, if we are creative in inspiring others to follow our lead, many times we can count on the innovation of others, so we don’t necessarily have to carry the load.
All of this being said, talented leaders find that different attributes take priority at different times depending on the person, the challenge at hand and external circumstances.
Some times being inspirational may be key - some times maybe it’s knowledge that ways heaviest of all. I’ll bet that the one-size fits all model for a given individual doesn’t exist but again, is predicated on the situation (even life experiences as one learns new things cause different things to float to the top).
Take care,
Harry Tucker
December 7th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Well, I think it is clear after those 6 answers that we need more than 6 characteristics to define a true leader!… And they might very well be ALL important!!…
And I will go farther and suggest that the differences between leaders will actually come from the respective weights of all those characteristics within each one, and that each situation or environment will require a different leader with differently weighted characteristics.
But for the sake of the exercise, here is my ranking:
1 - (1) Ethical
2 - (4) Dedicated
I agree with Harry: if you don’t have the highest level of ethics and you are not fully dedicated, you may fool others for some time, but not for long, and you will quickly loose all your followers. And that comes from the fact that you won’t earn the deepest respect of others if you don’t respect them (a big part of ethics) and yourself (a big part of dedication).
3 - (5) Knowledgeable
By the same token, if you’re not knowledgeable, you will not gain the respect of your peers and they won’t follow you where you want to take them. And by knowledgeable, I mean exactly the way Frank defines it: the knowledge of what you know (there has to be a minimum!) and what you don’t know, that you must be willing to admit and to learn — a true leader should always be willing to increase his/her knowledge, or to “constantly re-invent him/herself”, like I was saying in an earlier discussion.
4 - (3) Innovative
It’s only if you are ethical, dedicated and knowledgeable that you can start being innovative. Innovation has to be based on solid ground or the bubble will quickly burst! Innovation, Vision, Imagination, it’s all part of the art of foreseeing where a corporation could and should be taken to in the future based on the most probable evolution of the market and its environment (technical, economical, political, psychological, etc.).
So, that leaves us with (2) Inspirational as the last characteristic… But I will not include it in the list because I don’t classify it as a characteristic! To me, a leader will inspire if and only if he is ethical, dedicated, knowledgeable, and his vision can be believed (just to mention those 4 here)!! Take any of those out, and the inspiration will be lost upon your followers, they will not have faith in you any longer! The inspiration is created from all the other characteristics; it is not a characteristic in itself.
Thank you for yet another great discussion!
Didier
December 7th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
In order of most important first: 1, 4, 5, 3, 2
In general I rank great leaders first by whether they do the *right* things… this means being ethical comes way above everything else.
Then I rank great leaders by whether they can achieve what they set out to do. This is comprised of two components, competence and willingness/motivation. IMO motivation is more important since competencies can be learned. Motivation and attitude are much deeper character traits in my view. This leads me to place dedication as second most important.
Then I rank knowledge and innovation as important with regard to competence, and finally being inspirational while important less so than the others.
However I would note importantly that to be a great leader one should aim for neither respect nor success. Unfortunately, Hitler was respected by a large number of people in his time. Popularity is no proof of greatness. Furthermore, as Einstein said, “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”
Brad Thomas
December 8th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Legacy Leaders have these traits:
Number 1 is integrity; it includes being ethical and respectful.
Number 2 is inspiring and collaborative
Number 3 is developing people
Number 4 is innovative
Number 5 is being response-able and resilient
Barbara Chan
December 8th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Not sure I really have to reprogram my internal OS but as a person-centred coach I would say that this would be the order of attributes for my practice:
(4) Dedicated - to the client and their innate drive for self-actualisation
(1) Ethical - both to the client and generally
(3) Innovative - in providing new insights perspectives
(2) Inspirational - in helping clients find their inspiration through the impact of (1) and (3)
(5) Knowledgeable - of the processes of perception and change
BTW I would fully support the sequencing for successful and respected leaders in business,although Genghis Kahn and Hitler were no doubt successful and respected as leaders in other areas!
We must be wary of letting our desire, to see the world through rose-tinted spectacles, lead us to let our wish lists filter what our senses and history might otherwise tell us. We must remain open to all information especially that which might contradict our beliefs or analysis. This month’s survey by McKinsey “Flaws in strategic decision making” points out just this.
I hope this helps
sincerely
robin
December 8th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
2, 1, 4, 5, 3
A successful leader does not have to be innovative. While it’s certainly not a bad trait to have it’s not a necessity. A leader has to have respect though and this is obtained through inspiration, motivation, dedication, fairness, communication, and the pursuit of well defined common goals. A good leader may very well have innovative personnel reporting to him/her and it is therefore the responsibility of that leader to encourage and utilize that creativity.
Craig Askins
December 8th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Hello all
I would say that I agree with the original sequence.
I recently took part in a workshop about leadership that focused on:
- clarifying expectations both ways,
- accept people as they are and develop them begining from that point
- and personnal respect to everyone.
I like that.
December 8th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
In my opinion :
1) Empathetic ( both with the market and with his company)
2) Visionary
3) Respected
4) Inspiring
5) Dedicated
6) Self aware
Madalin Matica
December 8th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Hi Edison,
here is an article you might be interested in. It is “Leaders Worth Following”. http://www.6seconds.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=301
Our Company, Six Seconds is involved in leadership development and has spend a lot of time working out what it is that makes a leader stand out. Check us out at 6 seconds.org and sixseconds.com .
For me the bottom line is
1) TRUST
2) Empathy
3) Vision (and the ability to communicate that vision)
Remember, People do not leave organizations, people leave leaders.
Best Regards,
Steve Parker
December 8th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
23154 if I must choose.
However, I believe these are not all inclusive of the qualities of a leader, plus all of the above should have equal weight.
1. (2) As a leader you must inspire
2. (3) Inspiration leads to innovation
3. (1) You must be ethical, and have the respect of the people whom you lead. Usually there is fear involved when led by someone unethical.
4. (5) Knowledgeable. There needs to be a certain of level of knowkedge in an area in which one wants to be successful. Also in order to lead successfully, you need to be a combination of teacher, psychologist, cheerleader, and chief, and you need to know when each skill is needed.
I believe all of the above are equally important. You may need more of some than others, but these are a very few of the qualities present in a good leader.
5. (4) Dedication…….there must be an investment of self in every successful venture. Leadership by example
Sandra Vaughn-Cooke
December 8th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Awesome to see this discussion progressing well and allowing everyone to share their point of views.
This is a great opportunity to check that we are all different but able to succeed through different paths.
Thanks for participating and please keep coming back
Edison Reis
http://www.QualityAssuranceManagement.com
December 8th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Edison,
In my point of view, my sequence is:
2, 1, 3, 5, 4
Thanks,
Luiz Claudio
December 8th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
My top 6 would be
Enthusiasm
Integrity
Warmth
Courage
Judgement
Tough but fair
Duncan
December 8th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
My sequence is the following:
5,1,4,3,2
But the better chief is the one that know you so good (like a wife), and that can allow you to feel yourself in you carrier (is very emotive but I’M ITALIAN)
……
feel free to critic or that you are not agree with me
Luca Di Crescenzo
December 8th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
In my experience it is;
High degree of Emotional Intelligence
Self Aware
Ability to communicate vision/mission
Fluid leadership style - must be able to rely on EI to help access which style is needed to motivate the group.
Inspiring (ethical, integrity, respected, innovative, dedicated,)
Brian McInerney
December 8th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I agree with Craig. Succesful leaders must first inspire and respect others. This will ultimately become infused in others and voila! Innovation is born.
I always remember the 3 C’s to help me remember: Communication, Consideration, and Cooperation to bring out the best in people.
Sean Skinner
December 8th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
I think one item is missing: the success of the followers:
If he/she leads and followers do not become empowered by him/her, then he is not. Followers do so for a time, then they want to lead as well. So I guess this may look like a pyramid scheme, at a point leading is not important any more.
Oscar Cuzzani
December 8th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
That is a good order I would not change to much of it I would go 2,4,5,1,3 I always believe in Insperation to be really important. How can you want someone to do a job that your not willing to do your self. Dedication goes next because your willing to go through for your employees as well as your job. Knowledge is self explanitory your always not going to know everything and there will always be someone that knows more than you. Just make sure you can talk Intelligently to your workers, As for ethical and innovation I agree you need them, but the first three are very important when being in charge.
Ryan Rule
December 8th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
That was my immediate reaction also.
Johnny O’Sullivan
December 8th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
I hope Barbara and others will not mind if I shall be using their inputs
Legacy Leaders have these traits:
Number 1 is integrity (if this doesn’t exist the rest doesn’t matter at all); it includes being ethical, self-aware and empathetic;
Number 2 is inspiring / knowledgeable / respected;
Number 3 is developing people & the team beyond the “visible” potential;
Number 4 is innovative / visionary - keeping the main direction but making slight adjustments being pro-active to market trends;
Number 5 is dedicated / being response-able and resilient.
The most important thing for me is “to walk the talk” - which in my experience is done by very few managers that call themselves leaders …
Codin Coman
December 8th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
In my opinion:
3, 1, 2, 4, 5
Thanks,
Ricardo
December 8th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
1,4,2, 5,3 — As I view it, Ethical covers a number of other attributes–honesty, truthfulness, credibility ,trustworthiness, and respect. Once you start with those the order of the rest of the list isn’t as important. However, from a followers perspective I want to know that my “ethical” leader is “dedicated” to the organization, its vision, its people, its products/services, and its customers. Inspiration is always helpful but a leader can always hire an inspirational communicator as well as innovative and knowledgeable people.
Karl M. Soehnlein,
December 8th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
In my opinion, The leader should have Zero ego. I mean he should possess basic human qualities. 0) Accept the happening and be at Zero ego. This is the biggest challenge for the most qualified leaders. If any one has this quality, rest 1,2,3,4,5, 6, 7 would follow him…….Step 0 is ” Zero Ego”
Ganesan Nagaraj
December 8th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
2, 1 , 5, 3, 4
firm, fair, consistent , with a servant approach
Mark Roberts
December 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
1, 4, 2, 5, 3
I see a logical sequence that happens in being a respected and successful leader. First, most people want to follow a leader they can trust and has integrity. This provides the foundation so being ethical is a top priority.
It is impossible to have an ethical leader who is not truly dedicated. If they aren’t dedicated then followers will question their integrity and motives.
The ethical leader that is dedicated provides an environment that allow them to build trust and inspire their followers. This isn’t hype and excitement - but genuine inspiration.
A strong leader will be knowledgeable but they don’t have to necessarily always be the innovators. If they are strong leaders they can pull the innovation from the knowledge that is within their organization and promote and execute upon it.
People want to trust and believe in their leader’s ability to do one thing - lead.
Karolyn Hart
December 9th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
A leader who stands by his team. A leader who in case of a failure takes the blame, and in case of success attributes it to his team. The rest is obvious.
Vladlen Lissine
December 9th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Value 0 meaning zero ego as proposed by Ganesan seems very true to me. With this quality a leader will always be tuned well to the circumstances. And thereby to the qualities that are asked for (being for example innovation one time and ethics another).
Unfortunately we prefer to choose leaders with a very big ego. Those leaders want to impress and in fact Edison is asking us what will be the best impression a leader is making. The only answer can be: what the circumstances ask for! And that’s the reason that the American people don’t want a Bush-like president anymore.
Lars Schotel
December 9th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
That’s how I evaluate a leader:
1. His results: a leader who doesn’t come up with results doesn’t fit the job.
2. The price he paid to achieve his results: human, financial, ethical. A leader who presents good results through sacrificing family, friends, company’s finances and ethics doesn´t fit the job.
3. His attitude towards his team: a leader who claims victory to himself and failure to his team doens’t fit the job.
Robson Lelles
December 9th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Hi…
A very good and interesting question. I would personally rank it as 1 - 2 - 4 - 3 - 5.
This is simply because, I feel being ‘Ethical’ is utmost import for being a good human being. To be ’someone’ who can be followed; and so become a ‘respected leader’.
However, being ethical only will not suffice to be a leader (while it helps in being ‘respected’). Other leadership characteristics do follow in sequence viz. second being ‘Inspirational’. Unless someone is not inspiring the team, people do not tend to follow.
‘Dedication’ is next in row for having homogenity with team thereby building confidence in team members on their leader.
Just because I feel ‘Knowledge’ is necessary but not compulsory for leading, it is last in sequence.
Regards,
Anand
December 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Hi Edison, These responses are based on a GLOBAL Gallup pole which asked what characteristics do you want form a leader? These are the answers based on 75,000 responses:
1. Honest
2. Forward looking
3. Competent
4. Inspiring
5. Intelligent
6. Fair
7. Broad-minded
8. Supportive
9. Straightforward
10. Dependable
Maddy M. Rice
December 9th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
For me it would be Inspire people first and then 4,5,3,1 infact that order for me can flux and change.
We use a great book here at Rolls Royce on Leadership. Its The 21 Indespensible qulaitys of a leader. (Maxwell)
All things are important and some things are more important than others.
A leader is someone who you want to follow
Character and charisma and commitment are so important
Great book
DAVE
December 9th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
What too many leaders forget or never understood is that one must have CHARACTER to be a great leader. People may follow if they feel they have to but will always have questions about their leader if that leader is not TRUSTWORTHY. This would most closely correlate with ETHICS as #1.
Christian Paulsen
December 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
A must list of characteristics for a leader:
- Ethical (involves trust, credibility, honesty, etc.)
- Visionary
- Good communicator, charisma
- Lead by example
- Knowledgeable
I can’t see how to make a priority list…they all must be together.
Eduardo
December 9th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
its easy for a leader to be either successful or respected however to be both i guess my order would be : 1. ethical, 2. innovative, 3. dedicated, 4. inspirational, 5. knowledgeable.
however one cant survive if anyone is lacking. having knowledge is of paramount importance just that a leader can manage things if one has a desire to learn and can effectively use knowledge of men one leads.
Rajnish Sinha
December 9th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
I agree with Craig, 2-1-4-5-3. When I think of Leaders I think of very inspiring people who are highly ethical/trustworthy/moral, dedicated to the company and subordinate success, knowledge is key to respect, innovation falls low.
Justin Tomac
December 9th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I believe we all can learn from the Army Value System. LDRSHP is the Acronymn.
Loyalty - Bear true faith and allegiance to the U.S. Constitution, the Army, your unit and other Soldiers.
Duty - Fulfill your obligations.
Respect - Treat people as they should be treated.
Selfless Service - Put the welfare of the nation, the Army, and your subordinates before your own.
Honor - Live up to all the Army values.
Integrity - Do what’s right, legally and morally.
Personal Courage - Face fear, danger, or adversity [physical or moral].
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Stuart Keeter
Vice President/Senior Partner
Alliance International
800-395-0022 x 204
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http://www.alliance-recruiting.com
December 9th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Hello all,
Thank you so much for participating ! It is fascinating to see everyone’s perspective to it.
I just want to take the opportunity to explain my own answer.
3 - All leaders that I have been admiring are (or were) called leaders mainly because above all they were able to innovate or breakthrough an old paradigm in our industry, society or environment.
2 - Secondly they were able to communicate, empower, engage and inspire people to move towards their vision.
5 - Innovation and inspiration without knowledge is a short lived proposition therefore it wont breakthrough or gain people’s respect.
1- Ethics is always a huge paramount for me (and pretty everyone that we relate to) but normally ethical principals, behavior and strategies take place after the initial stage. (not before) Please keep in mind that I am not saying that leaders don’t have integrity nor ethics. It is just sequence of human characteristics to satisfy this holistic approach to a long lasting legacy.
4- Leaders lead by example and without full commitment their vision and goals may become short lived. (or ……. aka, the flavor of the month kind of leader)
I am sure some will agree and some will not but and i have been wrong before. This is beauty of free will, our personalities and how they react or behave on the environment that we are in. (or situation that we have been faced with)
All the best as always
Happy Holidays
Edison Reis
http://www.QualityAssuranceManagement.com
December 9th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I would go by this sequence:
2 (Only an inspirational person can be a leader)
5 (There is no innovation without knowledge)
3
1
4
Thanks
Anthuvan
December 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
For me.
2 - You can’t lead without a following, therefore you must inspire and motivate
1 - Effective leadership requires trust.
5 - Knowledge inspires trust and trust binds others to your goals
4 - You can’t expect dedication from others if their leader is not him-/herself dedicated.
3 - Innovation is something that is inspired through a well-communicated vision and dedication.
David Herrera, MBA
December 9th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
My personal ranking would be 1,2,5,4,3.
My personal aspirations are best described by Jim Collins in Good To Great - the chapter on Level 5 leadership.
C. Kent Greenwald
December 10th, 2008 at 12:14 am
I too would agree with Kent. 1,2,5,4,3. I think you build your foundation of trust within the organization, with clients, and with suppliers by being ethical. From there you can inspire your team and lead by example. Live the values. I think too often we see that ethics has taken a second (or third) seat to everything else.
Wayne Allen
December 11th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Good Afternoon Edison:
What an excellent question, especially right now that we saw people whom we thought were leaders, holding positions of leadership, who in the end turned out to be anything but leaders.
I think that we have to start from the very beginning to ask whether true leaders are born, or people may develop leadership qualities later on in their lives? My response is BOTH, there are people who are born with inherent leadership qualities, and as they grow up to be adults they can certainly refine and polish those qualities to a much higher level.
I believe that the primary qualifications for a great leader are “Servanthood” and “Self-sacrifice”. A leader cannot be thinking inwardly to himself, but outwardly toward the people he/she is leading (the followers).
A leader is a very good “influencer and encourager of others”, helping others to succeed and reach newer and higher peaks. Reach for the stars, the upper stars!!! He must be a person who can be trusted completely, and I mean completely, 120% and no less. An individual who likes and enjoys accountability, and is not bothered by it, who lives an honest and transparent life. He should be a person who behaves exactly the same when he is alone, as well as when he is in the company of multitudes. His character demonstrates a solid integrity at all times, whether in smooth sailing or in the midst of rough seas. He keeps his cool and he is calm under pressure, and does not loose sight of the goal to achieve. He is a visionary, and an excellent and articulate communicator of ideas. He is not threaten by challenges, but welcomes them and deals with them directly and straight on. He should be a wonderful listener, and have an open minded kind of attitude, but not easily persuaded to change direction without a thorough analysis of the situation at hand. He must be highly responsible.
Edison, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas with you and the other participants.
Alejandro
December 11th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
It’s Deming for me too.
Good day,
Roice
December 12th, 2008 at 11:09 am
1,3,2,5,4
Jackie Harms
December 12th, 2008 at 11:11 am
You are missing one very important characteristic. A respected and successful leader must be tough and demanding. That is s/he sets the bar high for themselves and their team. You probably assume this in one of your characteristics but I always made it clear to my team else you end up with mediocre performance.
John Coker
December 28th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
What an awesome response and participation !
As we all noticed is not easy to pick them by the numbers as they all are very important assets or attributes of a great leader.
There are no wrong or right answer in this one ! It all depends on the situation, location, social or political environment that we may be faced with.
All the best as always
Happy holidays
Edison Reis
http://www.QualityAssuranceManagement.com
.
January 1st, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Integrity is Number ONE! above all else in my opinion. If you don’t live with integrity in all that you do, nothing else matters. Think about it.
Terri Williams
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:00 am
I would order it the following way.
5) because he has to know what he is talking about
2) because he knows he inspires
3) always looking to implement new technologies
4) Because the above 3 need dedication
1) Ethics are tricky, but are important factor.
Hope my point of view is appreciated.
Alejandro Perez
February 5th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Certainly “ethical” contains within it the idea of trustworthiness. I think it is difficult to get the best performance out of people who cannot trust you personally or professionally. I am sure it is possible to get the job done but in my opinion, without the trust factor working you’re swimming upstream.
Tony Sullivan
February 5th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Being Ethical is the most important characteristic of a Leader..
Without being Ethical, all the other characteristics are meaningless. No other quality comes can substitute for it.
Can you think of a truly successful leader, who was not ethical but became a global icon without being ethical ? At least I can’t.
Regards
Yadvendra
February 6th, 2009 at 4:28 am
Its tough to prioritize the characteristics. A good leader should have all the above characteristics. we can prioritize like below
1. Dedicated
2. Inspirational.
3. Ethical
4. Knowledgeable
5. Innovative
this should say if the leader should have dedication, he should get automaticaly the rest of the things and the same we expected from his team.
Regards
Vasanth
February 6th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
To me, the most important characteristics above any other of a successful leader is creditability!
Manfred Kwade
February 6th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
In my opinion, there is no specific sequence, why? because the leader adapts to the environment, that’s what makes him/her a good leader. With all the fast changes in todays businesses, it is important to have a leader that can act fast, guiding the team to a complete success, with the strategic thinking approach, as well as coaching, mentoring, guiding and innovating within the team. However being Ethical would be consider as one of the most important characteristics, as this will make the team to be confident and follow the leader under extreme situations.
Alberto Hernandez
February 6th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Thank you all for your continuous support
It is awesome to see all the answers and approaches to it.
All the best
Edison Reis
QAM - Quality Assurance Management
http://www.QualityAssuranceManagement.com