Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Home
>
Leadership
>
Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is to interact according to Henry Ford's observation, "whether you think you can or think you can't - you are right." Because the buck must stop somewhere and because the dynamic of authority dictates that all delegated authorities are themselves subject to authority, they understand that being a leader is far more than a title. The ten qualities listed herein are based on these assumptions and are just the beginning of developing the character of a great leader. Here's to a great beginning!

1. Great Leaders are mission inclined and ensure the survival of the vision. By making certain that the principles of that vision are daily implemented, the Great Leader indicates a firm grasp of the mission and visions of the organization and is in agreement with them, making a conscious choice to submit to and support them.

2. Great Leaders are providers, oriented to whatever the individual or team cannot supply for itself. The leader is often called to provide for needs the group is virtually unaware of. It becomes the role of the leader to first identify the need, and then to provide a means of fulfillment.

3. Great Leaders are motivated by the welfare of the team. The motive is never self-promotion, self-aggrandizement. The great leader self-checks frequently. The welfare of the team will always be in line with the greater mission, if integrity is at the base.

4. Great Leaders are always ready to provide the tools necessary for achieving the goals of the team. Individual and team achievement furthers the purpose of the organizational mission. Great Leaders must assess the needs and provide the tools, as well as the instruction necessary to attain and maintain optimum productivity.

5. Great Leaders have great integrity (wholeness, soundness) and assume the role of keeper of ethics. Leaders must articulate the ethical expectations necessary to maintain the wholeness and soundness of the team, as well as the individual members. The two are inseparable.

6. Great Leaders are consistently teachable. Information flows from the top. Zest for information and knowledge will do the same. An eager to learn leader will generate followers enthusiastic about the process as well.

7. Great Leaders are always willing to step aside rather than compromise the team. We have established that the Great Leader is motivated by the welfare of the team rather than his or her own agenda, and as a result, will step aside if necessary to insure it. The same is true of the Great Leader's dedication to team unity and productivity. The leader will never play one member against another as a tactic, realizing that unity of purpose, when grounded in the integrity of the vision, will always lead to increased productivity and progress.

8. Great Leaders do not take control, but accept surrendered control. Seized control will ultimately end in rebellion and insurrection. Conversely, cooperation always follows surrendered control, the voluntary submission to authority. (Note: sub=under, and mission=vision, i.e., a voluntary stepping under, in a supporting capacity, to the mission of the team, the reason for its continued existence.)

9. Great Leaders understand the awesome responsibility of guiding human beings. At any level - - in any organization - - for any reason - - without reservation

10. Great Leaders understand the difference between passion for excellence and passion for power. Passion for excellence is fervor and zeal for fineness and quality. Passion for power is lust and greed for control, at any cost. These two highlight the enormous variance between Authority and Power.

Plus One...

Great Leaders always lead by example. The Great Leader is always willing, at any point, to walk out in front of the group. The Great Leader is never merely an observer. All other qualities will flow naturally from this characteristic at the very heart of Great Leadership.

Karin Syren is a certified coach specializing in EffectivenessCoaching. She has over 25 years business experience and has played key roles in independent creative enterprises, non-profit and Fortune 500 companies. Karin has helped leaders at all levels to increase their effectiveness through increased awareness. Visit her website at http://www.solushunz.com to arrange for your complementary EffectivenessCoaching consultation.

In The News:

Yahoo! News: Top Stories

Democrats criticize Obama's proposed tax cuts (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's proposed tax cuts ran into opposition Thursday from senators in his own party who said they wouldn't do much to stimulate the economy or create jobs. Senators from both parties agreed that Congress should do something to stimulate the economy. But Democratic senators emerging from a private meeting of the Senate Finance Committee criticized business and individual tax cuts in Obama's stimulus plan.

UN Security Council calls for immediate Gaza truce (AP)

AP - The U.N. Security Council called for an "immediate" and "durable" cease-fire in Gaza in a resolution Thursday night even as fighting between Israel and Hamas raged with early morning airstrikes killing seven Palestinians and pushing the death toll to about 760 in the near two-week conflict.

Key panel recommends impeaching Ill. governor (AP)

AP - A key panel unanimously recommended impeachment for Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Thursday, setting up a vote that could make him the first governor to face such fate in Illinois' sordid political history. Blagojevich should lose his job for abusing power, mismanaging government and committing possible criminal acts, including federal allegations he tried to sell off a U.S. Senate seat, the special committee concluded.

Mini Dynasty: Tebow leads Gators past Oklahoma (AP)

AP - The game defied expectations. Tim Tebow fulfilled them. He rescued No. 1 Florida, running through and throwing over No. 2 Oklahoma for a 24-14 victory Thursday night that gave the Gators their second BCS championship in three years.

Job losses stack up as recession deepens (AP)

AP - Trying to survive a deepening recession, employers are cutting their work forces to the bone, leaving more Americans unemployed and with dim prospects of finding a new job any time soon.

Oversight panel wants better answers from Treasury (AP)

AP - Less than a month after its first report, a congressional panel overseeing the Treasury Department's $700 billion financial bailout is demanding more answers.

Critics' final answer: `Slumdog' wins 5 awards (AP)

AP - The critics have spoken, and "Slumdog Millionaire" is their final answer.

Petraeus: Afghan, Pakistan problems are really one (AP)

AP - U.S. policy to win in Afghanistan must recognize the poor nation's limitations and its neighborhood, especially its intertwined relationship with U.S. terrorism-fighting ally Pakistan, the top U.S. military commander in the region said Thursday.

Cheney: CIA did nothing illegal in interrogations (AP)

AP - Vice President Dick Cheney said Thursday that he sees no reason for President George W. Bush to pre-emptively pardon anyone at the CIA involved in harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. "I don't have any reason to believe that anybody in the agency did anything illegal," he said.

Prosecutors: Madoff was ready to send out $173M (AP)

AP - Prosecutors said Thursday that investigators found 100 signed checks worth $173 million in Bernard Madoff's office desk that he was ready to send out to his closest family and friends at the time of his arrest last month in what is alleged to be largest financial fraud in history.

U.N. calls for immediate Gaza truce (Reuters)

Reuters - Israel pushed ahead with its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday, ignoring a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to the 14-day-old conflict.

Citi backs measure to help avoid foreclosures (Reuters)

Reuters - Financial giant Citigroup Inc will support a proposal in Congress to rewrite U.S. bankruptcy law to help troubled mortgage borrowers avoid foreclosure, Chief Executive Vikram Pandit said on Thursday.

Panel steps up criticism of Treasury over TARP: report (Reuters)

Reuters - A report being released on Friday alleges that the U.S. Treasury has failed to reveal its strategy for stabilizing the financial system, not answered questions asked by a government watchdog, and has done nothing to help struggling homeowners, the Wall Street Journal said.

Illinois panel recommends governor's impeachment (Reuters)

Reuters - A legislative committee on Thursday recommended the impeachment of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, citing widespread abuse of power including allegations he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama.

Qaeda Pakistan leader believed dead: U.S. official (Reuters)

Reuters - Al Qaeda's operations chief in Pakistan and a top aide are believed to be dead, a U.S. counterterrorism official said on Thursday, in what appeared to be the latest results of a campaign targeting the militant group's leadership.

Accused swindler Madoff "warm and charming": report (Reuters)

Reuters - Some friends of accused swindler Bernard Madoff considered him a "warm and charming" man, and one of his alleged victims praised him just before his death in 2005, Fox Business Network reported on Thursday.

EU seeks gas supply return after deal on monitors (Reuters)

Reuters - Europe on Friday looked for a swift restoration of gas supplies, after striking a deal with Moscow on monitoring gas shipments via Ukraine that have been halted by a rancorous pricing dispute with Kiev.

U.S., Iran share interests in Afghanistan: Petraeus (Reuters)

Reuters - The United States and its allies share some interests with Iran when it comes to stabilizing Afghanistan, Army Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. military's Central Command, said on Thursday.

Gaza toll mounts as UN Security Council urges immediate truce (AFP)

AFP - Israel carried out new deadly air raids on the Gaza Strip on Friday as the UN Security Council called for an immediate ceasefire to end the two-week-old conflict in the Palestinian territory.

Progress in resolving gas row as Russia agrees to monitors (AFP)

AFP - Hopes for a quick resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe were rising Friday after Russia agreed on the terms for the deployment of monitors in Ukraine.

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Leadership Leadership