Sunday 13 July 2008

What Makes a Good Leader?

I recently had a bit of "homework" to do as part of our professional development process.  Nothing profound, but nonetheless a few very interesting questions to address.  My favorite this time around was what the 5 most important qualities of a leader are.  Here is what I thought:

1.  Vision – they have to know the goal, know the results and be able to effectively communicate this and get buy in.

2.  Foresight – they have to be able to see the future coming, plan for it and know the key activities that, over time, will realize the vision.

3.  Respect – they must set the example and engender confidence from the team, people must want to seek their opinion and emulate their behavior.

4.  Impact – they must be seen to make a difference, to make tough decisions and stand by them, to wield whatever power they have to effect visible change.

5.  Determination – they must have the grit and the resolve to show the team that they stick by their principles and stay cool and clear even when the environment is at it’s harshest.

There are as many [correct] answers to this as there are leaders in action, drop me a line with yours.

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