The following is a talk I have given several times as a guest speaker at a local college for their business administration classes as well as several small business workgroups. The purpose of this article is considering what a foundation of leadership should look like with a focus on character and what are the core aspects of a true leader.
Leadership is not tied to any status or rank. Leadership is not inherent in the position held by the individual. If this were the case, all people in a leadership position would be excellent leaders.
We can all name multiple “leaders” worldwide, but there are very few that stand the test of time as individuals that have exemplified the essence of leadership. An excellent leader influences others around them and motivates them to strive toward a common vision.
“Leadership is the presentation by a person of some identifiable goal or vision or future state that people can desire; and the generation of a willingness within those people to follow the leader along a socially responsible and mutually beneficial course of action, toward that goal.” Parry, 1996
This definition reminds us that unless we can encourage followers, we’re not a “leader.” In this definition there is less emphasis on the old concept of power as a major leadership trait. The emphasis is on a personal, motivating form of influence. Notice also that there are two main ideas in this definition.
- The first is that we are going somewhere — not that we have arrived or are just maintaining status quo, but that we have a definite goal to attain, a destination to which we are journeying.
- The second is that we (the leader and followers) are going there together — you are a leader if people want to follow you. The converse is also true — you are not a leader if the people are not following you.
Having a goal and inspiring people to want to go with you in achieving that goal is what leadership is all about.
If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing. —Benjamin Franklin
An excellent leader leads by example. This requires setting the tone for the team you manage, all employees in a company or whatever position of leadership you hold. Almost like a chess game, a leader needs to be thinking several moves ahead and how to achieve a goal through proper motivation and communication to individuals under his or her leadership.
One of the key points here is that a truly great leader governs their leadership by principles of character that allow the leader to stand strong in the face of adversity. This evidence of character should be present in the leader’s individual life with the leadership in the workplace being an outflow of their daily life. Few people are born natural leaders. Leadership is developed through practice – right thinking produces right actions. If you make a determination to always uphold the key principles of a proper leader, you will be able to stand firm on these principles in the face of adversity.
In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock. — Thomas Jefferson
Manager Versus Leader
Much has been said on the subject of management and leadership. Frequently they overlap and the scope, depth and breadth of their application may draw upon either a stronger tendency to leadership or towards management.
“Leaders are people who do the right things. Managers are people who do things right” – Warren Bennis
Leaders deal with the direction a team is going in, the manager deals with the speed at which you are going. The leader deals with the vision—always keeping the mission in sight, striving for effectiveness and results, inspiring and motivating people to work together with a common vision and purpose. Management deals with establishing structure and systems to get those results. It focuses on efficiency, cost benefit analysis, logistics, methods, procedures, and policies. Leadership derives its power from values and correct principles. Management organizes resources to serve selected objectives to produce the bottom line.
Characteristics of an Effective Leader
The following list of character qualities came from several sources with some of my own thoughts on each topic. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it does provide a brief snapshot of 25 characteristics that should be visible in any leader. Several of these are foundational and become the key elements upon which you can build a successful career as a leader.
- Trustworthy – provides ample reason to instill trust in others and doesn’t violate that trust. This will become the foundation from which you can work toward becoming a strong and influential leader.
- Take Initiative – Demonstrate you can and will be a doer by taking on tasks above and beyond your responsibility no matter how large or small.
- Use Good Judgment – Analyze things carefully and propose solutions to problems. Make sure your position is valid and makes sense to the business.
- Speak With Authority – You cannot lead others by presenting tasks in a ‘do you think you can do this’ attitude. You need to direct tasks with authority, but also authoritatively present solutions to your management as one that understands the problem and knows what the proper solution should be.
- Strengthen Others – Always encourage others. This will foster a workplace with peers and employees that both respect you and want to work with you.
- Be Optimistic and Enthusiastic – Optimism and enthusiasm are contagious. Make sure you exhibit these in a genuine manner and you will be able to achieve goals that you never thought were possible with teams that are inspired to exhibit these qualities.
- Never Compromise the Absolutes – Any executive that is worth their weight will respect this principle in a leader. Know what the absolutes are and make sure you stand firm without caving. Your employees will see this and have tremendous respect for a leader that is not afraid to stand up for their team. Conversely, a leader that knows the absolutes and gives in when pressured will have zero respect, both from their employees and their management.
- Focus on Objectives, Not Obstacles – Make sure you keep others focused on the right thing. This doesn’t mean ignore the obstacles, because they must be dealt with, but rather keep your eye on the prize at the end and drive toward that in a logical manner so you don’t get bogged down in the obstacles that may arise. I have seen many a project fail because the leader focuses on obstacles and completely loses site of the objectives of the project.
- Empower By Example– You are always being observed by employees, peers, and other leaders. Be the type of leader that they aspire to be and set an example for them to follow.
- Cultivate Loyalty – Give your employees and leaders above you a reason to be loyal by showing them loyalty. For example, stand up for your team and protect them from being overworked versus dumping on them when someone above you adds an unreasonable amount of work requested in an unachievable amount of time.
- Have Empathy for Others– Don’t be afraid to show your softer side. This lets others know you can be firm and authoritative, but you are also kind and compassionate.
- Keep a Clear Conscience– Stand firm in your principles. Don’t do things that you know would violate them (lying, cheating, stealing, etc.). Others may not always agree, but they will respect it.
- Definite and Decisive – Take information in and be thorough, but once you have the needed details, make a decision and strive toward the goal you set.
- Know When to Change Your Mind – Be humble enough to recognize a mistake and correct it. Even though you may feel humiliated, others will respect this course of action versus denying the mistake or blaming others.
- Do Not Abuse Authority – Authority is a privilege and don’t lose site of the fact that it is granted to you and can be easily revoked. The proper respect that comes with authority must be earned from those that you lead, so don’t give others a reason to revoke that respect.
- Do Not Abdicate In the Face of Opposition – Leaders will challenge your position – this is a given. Be firm in your beliefs and what you know so that you don’t give in when challenged. A true leader can respond to opposition with wise answers and kindness and will be respected for it.
- Sure of Your Purpose– Know what, when and how you want to accomplish your goals.
- Know Your Limitations– Be aware of what can be achieved and what is unachievable.
- Be Resilient – There will be challenges and struggles. Don’t let your leadership be defined by these, but rather characterize your leadership by how you overcome challenges.
- Be Passionate – A leader without passion is uninspiring. Be passionate about what you are doing and how to progress toward your end goal.
- Be Courageous – Don’t be afraid to step into uncharted waters. Part of being a good leader is knowing when to be bold in your decisions in order to meet your end goal.
- Be Discerning – Recognize what is of value as a leader and what is a distraction. This will help you keep focused on your goals and not be easily tossed around like the ocean waves.
- Be Disciplined – Discipline is key. If you want to lead, then show that you manage your life and work in a disciplined manner. I have never seen leaders arrive for work whenever they feel like it. Instead, it is the leaders that are often early risers and sometimes stay late. I personally make it a habit to be working by 6:30am, a full 1-2 hours before my teams so I can be ready to focus my attention on the tasks for the day when they arrive.
- Be Energetic – An energetic leader is an inspiring leader. This will encourage others around you to work harder and better.
- Know How to Delegate – I have seen this as a problem area for many leaders and have personally had to deal with this from time to time. Leaders that do not delegate are often called micro-managers and they are control fanatics. Understand right now that a leader cannot do everything. An excellent leader understands this and knows that they must entrust others with duties to accomplish tasks. The key here is using the full range of characteristics to make wise decisions on how to assign these tasks and hold others accountable for them.
General Principles for Success In Any Role
The following principles can help you achieve success in whatever role you fill in your employment, but are critical for a successful leader.
- Create a personal definition of success – Make sure you know what your personal definition of success is and hold to those principles. I have just outlined 25 of these characteristics that I try to follow in my leadership.
- Discover your reason for being – Why do you do what you do? What do you hope to accomplish? Why are you where you are? This will help you understand what it is you want to accomplish and how to make that journey.
- Set clearly defined goals – Your goals must be achievable and clear. This will help you chart a path to get from point A to point B over the course of your career.
- Never waiver in your belief that you can achieve your goals – This mindset is powerful and can help keep everything in perspective. If you don’t believe that your goals are achievable then you will never reach them.
- Manage your attitude – Attitude can have a strong influence on your leadership career and those around you. Make sure your attitude is correct for any given situation because it will infect those around you resulting in a cohesive leadership team that meets goals or an apathetic one that never quite achieves their goals.
- Persevere when adversity strikes – This is a given: adversity WILL strike. It always does. So, be prepared for it, embrace it, and own it. Don’t let the adversity control you.
- Take risks and embrace change – All strong leaders are risk takers. You must be if you want to be set apart from the pack. The risks must be calculated and logical and not violate the characteristics outlined earlier. Leaders are change agents and you can either get on board and help drive the change or get left in the dust as change takes place. I have seen several leaders lose their jobs over this very issue where they did not want to embrace change and became a caustic source of contention in the project resulting in their eventual termination.
- Always be kind – Kindness is what can help you achieve all the prior goals. Don’t ever lose site of the fact that a little kindness toward others can accomplish more than demanding anything in a dictatorial fashion.
- Make a difference whenever, wherever, and however you can – This is really the overall desire of a true leader. You see an end goal or objective and you want to do whatever you can to help accomplish this goal.
Conclusion
So, how do you want others to view you as a leader?
Do you want to be known as a heartless taskmaster that accomplished the job, but drove your team into the ground?
Or, do you want to be known with the reputation of a kind, but authoritative leader that had great vision and could properly motivate others to achieve that goal?
Obviously, the latter is far better and the foundation to it all is setting your mind to applying these aforementioned principles in your everyday life. Let them permeate every activity until they become a habit, a conditioned response, much like a muscle memory for an athlete that practices one specific motion hundreds of thousands of times.
True leadership is an outflow of your everyday life and should come naturally if you live these principles in everything you do.
Sources:
1. LEADERSHIP UNDER THE MICROSCOPE whitepaper by Jack Zenger, Kurt Sandholtz, and Joe Folkman
2. The Book on Leadership by John MacArthur
3. The Character of Leadership by Brian K. Cooper, Joseph C. Santora, and James C. Sarros
4. The Nature of Success by Mac Anderson
