Leadership – The Pinnacle Trait

The 8 Traits have been a work in progress for years, and the current list was the not the original list. Along the way, the idea evolved that the traits were building blocks, as some were “core” traits, and others relied upon components of those in order to be successful. For instance, in the absence of Integrity, no other traits matter. By design, Leadership was the last, and pinnacle trait.

There are thousands of books written about Leadership, many about great leaders, many others about the attributes of leaders, and a whole host of books on how to become a leader. I’ve always wondered how the last group of books works for the audience that believes “leaders are born, not made” which would suggest you can’t become a leader unless you were one from the start, but let’s continue….

I believe you can be On The Ball, but you may still be on your pathway to being a great leader.

However, if you are a great leader, you must also be On The Ball, exhibiting many of the other supporting 8 Traits that enable leadership. Here’s why…

Leaders require Integrity – there’s a reason we refer to Integrity as the Foundational Trait. Trust, Responsibility. Accountability. These are essential for Leadership, as well as anyone who wants to be On The Ball. In its simplest form, how can you follow a leader that you don’t trust? And anyone who attempts to pass the buck when they should accept responsibility as a leader is merely a con artist. Parallel with trust is respect. It takes a long time to earn, cannot be taken for granted, is incredibly fragile, easily broken, and hard to regain if and when it is lost. A true leader is someone we can implicitly trust and respect in their role. As a result, we gain confidence in the direction and guidance leaders provide. By comparison, we can all think of people who are in high-ranking roles, because of their position in the workplace, government, or community organizations, and think they are leaders, but are not trustworthy, are quick to point the finger at others, don’t accept responsibility, and unable to hold themselves accountable. The leadership statue falls to the ground when the integrity foundation is missing.

An element of building trust and respect is empathy. A strong leader genuinely cares about the people around them. When team members feel understood and valued, they are more likely to open up, be honest, and trust their leader. This creates a safe environment where relationships can flourish.

Leaders are Curious and constantly learning. A leader will recognize that they can’t be experts in everything.  They will work to either learn more about a topic, or more likely, engage themselves with people who are experts, and trust in their input and guidance.

Leaders are great Collaborators – they can work with a variety of people, can provide them encouragement, and value their contribution. An earlier blog post had the theme of “Two Heads Are Better Than One” which is only true when the second person involved has a different viewpoint or approach that helps explore solutions. A leader is open to hearing those viewpoints, facilitating the diagnosis of the real issues, and will work with those around them to identify optimal solutions to problems. In the end, a leader may own the final decision, but appreciates the collaboration that led to it. Leadership in a vacuum is dictatorship.

In working with others, Leaders are also great Communicators, and specifically great listeners. Leaders value the input of others around them as much as, if not more, than the guidance they provide to their team. A true leader presents themselves with humility. They are not looking for credit, and they focus on the accomplishments of their team. And while their speeches may be inspiring, the greatest leaders live up to the phrase “actions speak louder than words.”  You can communicate through your behavior, and the results of your actions speak volumes louder than your promises or intentions. A snake oil salesman can be a great orator, and speak to an audience that gets them emotionally excited. But a great communicator speaks with their audience, the audience feels a connection, that their feelings and concerns matter, and will respond to a call to action from their leader.

Leaders have Ambition, but not in the reckless way – they have the persistence and perseverance to work through setbacks and difficult situations, and keep their eye on the end goal. They will use that energy to keep their team motivated, and the phrase “lead by example” best fits under this trait. How often have we been in situations where a manager has ordered the team to “persevere” and “work harder”, but that manager does not do the same. By comparison, a leader will begin working harder themselves, and an inspired team will begin to do the same, perhaps without even being asked, because they see the effort being put in by the person they trust and respect.

Leaders can coordinate others through complex Planning, beyond their high-level vision or concept, but let’s be clear – a leader is not a title, and all managers are not leaders. While plans can be tactical in terms of their logistics, resources, and schedule, a leader will empower others, and give credit to the team when the goal is achieved. And if you have just a high-level vision or concept, perhaps that makes you a dreamer, but a leader helps turn that dream into a reality by taking action with a plan, and actually achieving the desired outcome.

Leadership is a continuous journey, and an evolution where leaders become good leaders and eventually become great leaders. You can’t enroll in a five-day leadership workshop, receive a certificate, and all of a sudden, you’re a leader overnight. Someone may have introduced you to the tools and attributes leaders have, but you have to put them into practice. There are times you will fail, and it is important that you accept the responsibilities when that occurs, as well as learn from those moments so that you can grow and become a better leader overall. You might look to other leaders that further in this journey than you, and hope to learn from them, and perhaps emulate some of their successful habits and traits. We also learn later in life that we can’t be leaders forever, and it is important to ensure that new leaders are ready to take over in our place, and are coached and mentored so that they can grow and mature into their roles as well. The most secure leaders are prepared to do this – they know when it is time to pass the torch.

Bill Bradley is credited with the phrase “Leadership is unlocking people’s potential to become better.” As we follow the Blueprint To Achiever, with Leadership on top, it enables us to help others along the path to be On The Ball themselves. Every journey is different, but is easier with a strong leader to help us get there.