45 Traits to be at your Leadership Best

 This is my most comprehensive take on leadership and hope you find it useful. This article is close to my heart and hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Peter L. Bernstein said "We simply do not know what the future holds." In times of crisis like this we look to leaders for inspiration, hope and direction. The last word is the key as the first thing to suffer in a crisis is direction. Leaders have a guiding vision for the future and turn to hope when others can only see mud. Lets hope in this time of enormous crisis it also unearths true leaders who can navigate the turbulent times and move us into a greater future however distant that may seem at this time.

Everyone has their own definition of leadership. Mine is simple it is about dreaming big, inspiring others and leading by example. Leaders really do dream big dreams think of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Roosevelt, Churchill among others. The current business landscape requires more leaders who are willing to chart new seas and deal with change in a world that has not only flattened but also eliminated geographical boundaries while embracing the technology tsunami that engulfs all of us. The 21st Century leader needs to pack the following traits in their repertoire. Leaders are made and of course they are born as all of us are.

Here are my musings on leadership and here are the 41 best traits for leading in these times of turbulence.

Leaders know their Strengths and Weakness - Know Thyself is one of the most important sayings from the Temple of Apollo in ancient Delphi. This is the first step towards becoming a great leader. Daniel Goleman in his seminal article "On Becoming a Leader" also talks about how important it is for leaders to know themselves. If you know yourself well you might not take up a job just for the financial aspect or you might turn down some social obligations that is not aligned with the long term vision for your life. Journal about what you want your life to stand for and then ensure your statement aligns with your strengths. You can only lead from a position of self-strength.

Leaders understand that Only the truly Paranoid Survive - In any leaders journey of life they will inevitably hit a Black Swan. A Black Swan is an event that almost no leader or visionary can predict and this was of course very well articulated by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book of the same name.

This is most evident in how the journey of two explorers trying to reach the South Pole in 1911 took place. This was well written in the book Great by Choice, Great at Work and also 21 Irrefutable laws of leadership. The main race is between Norwegian Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott from Britain. The way the two prepared for this expedition shows why only the paranoid survive. Roald Amundsen prepared with monomaniac discipline. He practiced eating raw dolphin meat just in case he was ever shipwrecked, observed the Eskimos even taking their clothing, for a trip from Norway to Spain to get a masters certificate he bicycled, he used dog sleds and he killed the weaker dogs to feed the stronger dogs. In contrast Robert Falcon Scott used ponies which sweat on their hides, used motor sledges which had not been tested in extreme conditions, didn't have enough food planned for the conditions and didn't prepare with Eskimos.

The moral of the story is what you do before a storm hits that will ultimately determine your ultimate success. Are you more like Amundsen or Scott? Amundsen famously said “Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.”

Leaders are trend spotters – We have been talking about change since time immemorial. Since the brief time I have been on earth every era said that is the most gut-wrenching time. Unemployment has always been an issue. Luddites feared their jobs going but facts say that more jobs were created during the industrial revolution. Now we may see more jobs disappear but let’s not give up hope that great leaders can still find new jobs for humans to bring their imagination and unleash the latent talent in people. So be a trend spotter and align your enterprise to move with the times showing increased agility while inspiring people to bring their best selves to work. In Imagine It Forward Beth Comstock shares the rule of three. First time is an occurrence, second time is a coincidence but third time it occurs then it is a trend.

Leaders find and amplify intersections - I came across this in the book CEO Excellence. I think it is true because leaders are able to understand where their business and market intersect. The best leaders make decisions that enable and thrive on that intersection. The ability to see around corners and build products well before even the customer wanted is what made Steve Jobs an ICON. So the key is for leaders to keep your antennas up enabling them to win in the marketplace. This enables them to come with a game changing vision which is one of the keys to successful leadership.

Leaders are great at Prompt Engineering - With Generative AI ruling the roost and tools like ChatGPT are ones that leaders have to use on a constant basis it is imperative that leaders have an understanding how they can impact the marketplace using all the tools in place. Being AI Savvy will help leaders build better products and provide better service. Innovation is using the tools at your disposal and produce content that is remarkable.

Leaders are phenomenal at team building- Together everyone achieves more. Being a great team leader is imperative on your leadership journey. In the book Leading Teams the author Hackman identified five conditions that helped a team flourish. 1. Personal responsibilities on the team are well-defined. 2. The supporting structure is solid. 3. The team has a compelling direction. 4. The overall context is supportive. 5. The players have expert coaching.

Leaders are exceptional futurists - I came across this again in the book CEO Excellence. All successful leaders are able to see into the future and are great trend spotters. The way they do it is to read broadly across industries and keep their eye open to key opportunities. There is no shortcut here except the fact that you need to be constantly learning across the board and expose yourself to the best information available not only in your area of expertise but across all other arenas. This will ensure you are prepared for the future. As Peter Drucker said the best way to predict the future is to create it. Curiosity is the differentiator between those who win and who don't.

Leaders are designers - What we need are leaders who are path breakers and question the status quo. The magic of design in everything we do has become more prevalent over the last decade. It means leaders need to look at the aesthetic side of every interaction and every product. Be a designer in everything you do. Understand what your brand stands for and have people speaking about you with that single word or sentence. Minimalism is the ultimate form of sophistication. Subtraction is the art of genius.

Leaders act like teenagers and think like a Dyslexic - This is a really interesting one which I came across in Connecting the Dots by John Chambers. He says we should all be as curious as a teenager and also be aware of market transitions. By dyslexic he means they have the ability to connect the dots while innovating their business. They are impatient, bold and curious in the pursuit of their vision. They are always playing outside their comfort zone.

Leaders act as CEOs of their lives and teams - This is an interesting concept. Every leader who has reached the heights of their potential considered themselves as self-employed. Be the boss of your own gig. When you act as CEO of your own life you will set a vision, mission and values for your life. As Andy Grove said whatever department you are heading or team you are leading you can be CEO of that area.

Leaders are visionaries – What separates a leader from a manager is an audacious vision. Only leaders have vision and vision is something that can get us out of bed and into the market to deliver excellent value. Let’s consider the vision of JFK to land a man on the moon. It was clear and audacious. Clearly set the vision for your life and enterprise. Imagine yourself in 2040 and then paint a picture of where you want your life to be. You can do the same thing for your organization as well. In the book Game Changers Dave Asprey says one thing all top people seem to have is a compelling vision of what is truly important to them and aligning all their activities around the important things. At this time of enormous crisis we need a compelling vision to not only count the days but to make the days count.

Leaders are optimistic - This is right at the top of the hit parade for any true leader. Tom Peters said, "The race will go to the curious, the slightly mad, and those with an un-satiated passion for learning and dare-deviltry." Optimism is one of the key traits of successful people. All change or innovations that have happened in the world are due to people willing to see something more than others see. Where others see roadblocks, successful people see opportunities. I have come up with ten commandments which can help us be at our optimistic best. You can read it here. The Optimist's Manifesto.

Leaders grow other leaders – Of course I am not the first to suggest this. In times of uncertainty and crisis leaders clearly need to have a succession plan. They need to be developing leaders all around them so that the organization survives in spite of any individual. This is what Jim Collins calls Level 5 leaders. They are ambitious first and foremost for the cause not for themselves. If you put your organization ahead of your personal ambition you will develop leaders who can lead in your absence.

Leaders Eat Last - This is an excellent book by Simon Sinek and the key takeaway is the leader gives more important to the team than themselves. This is a clarion call to purpose driven leadership and treating everyone with respect. I think this is also the more pertinent with the advent of AI and we do need to bring more humanity to the table of leadership.

Leaders are generalists – If you truly want to be a leader who thrives in the 21st century you need to be a generalist. You can have a team of specialists but the leader needs to be a generalist. The book Range by David Epstein will get you thinking about your career in a unique way for sure. The book starts with the examples of Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. It is interesting that when he was a kid Roger Federer wanted to meet Boris Becker and reach 6 grand slams. However, Tiger Woods wanted to be the best of all time. The key learning here is that thriving in the 21st century workforce requires us to be a generalist than just specialists. You may not be the best at something but if you have multiple things you are good at you will win bigger. It has a lot of examples across the spectrum.

Leaders are people builders – Leaders build people and they never bring people down. The job of a leader is to inspire people to live their best lives providing their best service in the progress of the organization's vision. Organizations are never going away but hierarchy is. Promotions will never go away but the way performance appraisals are done may go away. In times like these it is very important for leaders to build people and ensure their self-esteem is protected at all costs.

Leaders are decision makers - A strong leader is decisive and takes decisions quickly. I love this quote by Adlai E. Stevenson “On the plains of hesitation lie the blackened bones of countless millions who at the dawn of victory lay down to rest, and in resting died.” So, leaders don’t hesitate to take tough decisions. Its good to make decisions with some deliberation but once you have made the decision you need to make it work. As it is often said successful people don't make the right decisions all the time but they make their decisions right.

Leaders are flexible – In the current business environment all bets are off and what you think worked yesterday is no longer in play. To stick to something just because it worked yesterday is no longer viable. Being flexible and nimble is the name of the game. We should all be ready to change our decisions when we get new and better information. Leaders should keep their ears open to innovative ideas and accept that change is the only constant. I like this quote by General Eric Shinseki “If you dislike change, you're going to dislike irrelevance even more.”

Leaders are talent spotters – You can have the greatest and grandest vision but if you don’t have the right people to execute the vision it is dead in the waters. No one can say it better than Jim Collins when he said, “Get the right people on the bus in the right seats and get the wrong people off the bus.” The time spent in hiring is the most valuable time of a visionary leader.

Leaders are generous with appreciation – Appreciation is oxygen to the soul. Everyone wants to feel important. If you want to keep the best people then it makes sense to keep appreciating people for the excellent work they do. Praise in public and share any criticism in private. It is very important to keep the people energized at this time of uncertainty. Keep building people through recognition and praise.

Leaders are brutally honest – This means they are not afraid to be unpopular without being pushy or aggressive. Yes, the leader cannot always be praising if things are going wrong. There are some decisions of a leader that not everyone is going to like but as Jack Welch said in his book Winning someone made you a leader because you know not only the short term but also think long term.

Leaders are quitters– The best example is Jack Welch as he got out of every business where GE could not be Number one or Number two in that specific market. In your personal life, also you can learn to quit things where you cannot be great. If learning the piano is painful please do quit it and apply the same pain to an area of life where you can make a true difference in your life. This was the trait where I received a lot of feedback saying this was counter intuitive but made sense.

Leaders are committed to winning – Every leader wants to win and strong leaders are committed to winning. The team that has an overwhelming desire to win will always outperform the team which does not care about winning. Leaders know exactly what a win looks like and they do everything to ensure the team is equipped with the best resources to enable the winning. Commitment to winning inspires the team to reach greater heights.

Leaders are resilient – The only sure defense is offense. The only the sure thing in a leader’s life is a crisis. A leader needs to have a strong resilient mindset to traverse and navigate the turbulent markets. Resilience can be built by having a strong mission statement, strong core values, clear goals, maintaining good attitude, being physically agile and sleeping well. Resilient organizations are built on the back bone of strong leaders.

Leaders are disruptors – It was the Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter who coined the term “creative destruction.” This was when an existing industry or product is disrupted with a superior product. Digital photography replaced film photography. Then there was disruptive innovation where a company comes with an inferior product which is cheaper and it is ignored by market leaders. This is what happened to the disk drive industry. Now in the blue ocean shift the authors talk about something called non-disruptive creation. For example, Tony Robbins created the life coaching industry when it did not exist. The point is leaders need to be disruptors and they can choose either of the methods.

Leaders are relationship managers – Business begins and ends with relationships. Emotional intelligence is more important than IQ. Self-awareness is one the of the keys to be a successful leader. A leader needs to manage both the internal and external stake holders. Give people the respect they deserve and treat everyone equally. Leaders don't let their emotions run amok and are steady in times of turbulence.

Leaders are continuous learners – As I mentioned earlier all bets are off. Unless leaders keep up to date with their industry and related industries it is next to impossible to lead effectively. Keep reading across all sources. Read books, listen to podcasts, read the blogs, connect with the experts, document what you learn and share what you learn with others.

Leaders are responsible – Leaders take responsibility for results. They never engage in the blame game. They take blame personally but give credit generously. As Harry Truman said, “The buck stops with me.” They take ownership for mistakes and are generous in appreciating others for a job well done.

Leaders are great at networking – Your success as a leader is directly related to the strong network you have built. So, keep building your network and share great content to your network. Networking is a must for the 21st century leader. You will grow in direct proportion to the strength of your network.

Leaders are legacy builders – Leaders are very aware of the legacy they want to leave. You can only leave a legacy by living it. Constantly think of how you want to be remembered and align all your activities to reflect your deepest convictions. Leaders know that by living their legacy they are building a great platform of excellence and purpose that will hold them in great esteem well into the end of their lives.

Leaders are right brain evangelists – As the need for creativity elevates and with machines also taking over some of our jobs the need for right brain leaders is even more prevalent. Great leaders tap into their intuition and bring their right brain skills to win in a marketplace that is craving for newness and ingenuity. Develop your right brain skills through remarkable story telling and building a team of great designers.

Leaders are high on self-care – Great leaders take care of themselves well especially in times of crisis and turbulence. Focus on your mental, physical, social and spiritual self. Exercise regularly, eat well, sleep well and keep recharging your batteries on a regular basis. I just read recently that Jeff Bezos likes to get eight hours sleep as this enables him to make better decisions. Leaders need to be fresh in their thinking and self-care is the name of the game. Especially in times of turbulence this is all the more important to ensure you have many more decades of leading successfully.

Leaders are customer-centric – Great leaders know that only by building raving fans can a business survive in an increasingly crowded marketplace. Even in an era of deep commoditization it is only the leaders and organizations who treat customers like royalty that really win in the long run. So, take care of your customers well and the business will automatically flourish.

Leaders are trust builders – Great leaders build trust at every level of the organization. This trust serves them well when there are setbacks. If you want your team to rally behind you then trust is the currency that will help. Maintain an open communication channel with all the key stakeholders and ensure unwelcome news is shared as importantly as the good news.

Leaders challenge directly and care personally – This is based on the principles outlined in the wonderful book Radical Candor by Kim Scott. The main thesis is as a leader you have to be brutally honest with your team while at the same time caring for them personally. As leaders it is our responsibility to ensure our team never feels let down and we protect the self esteem of each individual.

Leaders are passionate and wildly enthusiastic – Leaders ooze passion. They are totally sold out to their vision and are committed to winning. The passion rubs off on the team as well. Passion starts with the leader and ends with the team.This also generates wild enthusiasm and it can be felt through everyone on the team.

Leaders are courageous – Leaders embody courage in every action of theirs. As Winston Churchill said "Courage is rightly considered the foremost of virtues for upon it all others depend." Courage is the ability to take calculated risks in the pursuit of an audacious vision. Courage is what separates strong leaders from the rest.

Leaders are Impact Players– Leaders are truly impact players. This comes from the wonderful book "Impact Players" by Liz Wiseman. The first thing impact players do is they perform the job that must be done. This means they take initiative even if it is not in the job description. They also step up to take projects which others don't want to do but more importantly they step back and let others lead. Finally they make it easier for others to work with them.

Leaders engage for Impact– Leaders are not only impact players themselves but they also engage others for impact. This is one of the core behaviors of World class leaders mentioned in the book "The CEO Next Door." This is basically about managing the stakeholders. It can be both internal and external stakeholders. One of the keys is to know who all the stakeholders are. There should be a separate strategy for each type of stakeholder. Building strong long-lasting relationships is a great key to ensuring a smooth-running team which delivers great results.

Leaders have a personal mission– Leading is not just for the organization and it is also related to self leadership. The true way a leader can find themselves is through a personal mission statement which speaks to who they stand for. What do they want their life to reflect at the end and how do they want to be remembered. This was of course made famous by Stephen Covey through his Begin with End in Mind. Identify your personal mission to get excited about your life. Mine is stated as "My mission is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs."

Leaders are disciplined– Leaders understand "Discipline is Destiny." The latter is the name of the book by Ryan Holiday and I enjoyed reading it. All top leaders are super disciplined around their highest priorities. One of the things everyone says builds self discipline is taking care of your body and having a structure around your life. You can also practice temperance to enhance discipline. Be disciplined around your highest priorities and you will feel more in control which is a key quality of being a successful leader. This is the most important trait to win and sustain for the long haul. Long term thinking is a key to outstanding success.

Leaders Are Authentic- Authenticity is crucial for establishing trust and credibility with teams and stakeholders. Here’s a deeper look into why authenticity matters.Authentic leaders communicate transparently and honestly. They are open about their values, intentions, and feelings, which helps in building a strong, trustworthy relationship with their teams. For instance, Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, is known for his open and honest communication style, which has fostered a culture of trust and engagement within his company.

Leaders Are Resilient Learners- Resilient learners demonstrate the ability to adapt and grow from experiences, particularly in the face of setbacks. Here’s a detailed look. Resilient leaders are committed to lifelong learning, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. They actively seek feedback and invest in their personal and professional development. For example, Jeff Bezos has continuously evolved Amazon’s strategies and operations based on market feedback and personal learning.

Leaders Are Empathetic - Empathy enhances a leader’s ability to connect with and support their team members. Here’s why empathy is critical in leadership. Empathetic leaders are attuned to the needs and emotions of their team members. They listen actively and respond to concerns, creating a supportive work environment. Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, is known for his emphasis on employee well-being and his proactive approach to addressing their needs.

Leaders Are Strategic Thinkers - Strategic thinkers anticipate future trends and make decisions that align with long-term goals. Here’s an expanded view on strategic thinking. Strategic thinkers focus on long-term goals and plan accordingly. They envision where they want their organization to be in the future and develop strategies to achieve that vision. For example, Elon Musk’s long-term vision for SpaceX includes colonizing Mars, driving the company’s ambitious projects and goals.

As I said these are musings from me on what leaders can do to thrive in crisis, navigate during turbulent times and win in the marketplace. There can always be many things a leader can do but one thing is for sure leaders must embrace the paradox. Sometimes you should be flexible and sometimes you should be stubborn. Sometimes you should think big picture and sometimes you should think of the day to day activities. Only when a leader embraces the different paradigms of action can they truly lead and win in the new ever-changing business landscape. What is needed at this time is a cool head with a calm reassurance that everything will turn out all right. This balancing act is not easy but necessary to overcome the enormous headwinds that face every leader in a turbulent environment.

The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my organization. Thanks for reading this post.