Chapter 5
Leading Each Style
Creating a High-Performing Culture by Understanding Interactive Style
Leadership is hard. When I conduct classes on leadership, I often ask people to list the characteristics of an effective (not even great, just effective) leader. Here is a list of answers I received at a recent seminar when I asked a group of 50 people this simple question, “What makes a leader effective?”
| Honesty | Confidence |
| Creativity | Trustworthiness |
| Fairness | Self-motivation |
| Consistency | Experience |
| Intelligence | Common sense |
| Drive | Loyalty |
| Passion | Productivity |
| Knowledge | Persuasiveness |
| Compassion | Resiliency |
| Accuracy | High moral standards |
I then ask the group if they have ever met anyone who possessed all these attributes. Of course, the answer is no. Being a leader is hard, and others' expectations are enormously high. Add to that the fact that most people think the leader is omnipotent and that everything that happens within the leader's area of responsibility occurs with his or her full knowledge and intent, and you have to wonder why anyone would aspire to be a leader. It seems to be a thankless and near-impossible undertaking.
And yet, I call my company the Leadership Difference. Frequently, I am asked, “So what is the difference?” Well, I can't impeach the importance of any of the 20 items that my seminar group listed. All these qualities are vital and help a leader succeed. However, the one characteristic that I would list does not appear on this list. That ...
