My own view is Leaders are like professionals (sports, arts, etc.): Some have more natural talent than others, yet it is the growth in this talent that propels them into a level of mastery. The most important point is we have to want to grow our talent at an emotional level, not a cognitive level, to achieve mastery.
In the Forbes.com article – Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader, the qualities of a great leader identified are:
1 Honesty
2 Ability to Delegate
3 Communications
4 Sense of Humor
5 Confidence
6 Commitment
7 Positive Attitude
8 Creativity
9 Intuition
10 Ability to inspire
This is an excellent list, yet how do we attain these qualities?
Feels like this could be a giant juggling act.
From the list above, one of our finest qualities as a leader is to have a positive attitude, yet even more importantly is to inspire our followers into having a positive attitude, as well. When we have followers with a positive attitude they will be doing their best work. It is amazing how we can bring the best out in each other when we are working from a “glass is half full” frame of mind.
Picture this: When we are in the “glass half empty” frame of mind, we are working from a set of negative emotions. Our mind is spinning, we dwell on the negative and our painting of the future is unwelcoming. When we are in the “glass half full” frame of mind, we are functioning with optimistic emotions, the whole world is standing tall and we are on top of it.
I notice this about myself – for many years I did not understand this phenomenon. I do my best work when I am feeling good about life, essentially having a positive attitude – some call this hope – about our future. It starts with us as individuals, after that moves to workgroups or family units and is followed by organizations and subsequently societies.
One of America’s most famous motivation experts, Zig Ziglar, said: “Your Attitude will Determine your Altitude”.
We cannot be effective at group or organizational levels if we are not effective at our own personal level.
Are you an Effective Leader?
I hope you’ve found this newsletter helpful.
If you’d like to learn more about The Holberton Group and our executive coaching and business advisory services, or whether a Vistage Peer Advisory Group can help your organization, please send an email to pholberton@holberton.com.
