David Piccione.com

In the first part of the Leadership Primer, I took a look at how I define what leadership is. But what is a leader, exactly? Think about the best leaders you’ve ever worked with, what qualities did they share that helped them lead?

Every effective leader will have the qualities listed here in some fashion. Some will be born with these aspects as natural talents, others will acquire them over time by experience and learning. The best leaders though, will recognize these traits both as talents and something to continually strive to master through life long learning.

Make no mistake though, every successful leader has each and every one of these qualities.

Character

A good leader is always a person of character. This character can be displayed in different ways depending on the leader. Regardless of how it is ingrained, it becomes the key quality that will attract - and retain - disciples.

Building character is a journey of self-discovery, and a leader will hold in high regard such principles of honour, integrity, loyalty and confidence. She will expect these traits of herself and respect them of others. Leaders know that a character evolves over time and become students of self discovery. They constantly evaluate themselves to standards they would never expect of their peers, using each situation as a means to improvement. Their self discipline is quick to adhere to their principles on the outside, but they are constantly re-evaluating themselves and their abilities.

For many, the competitive joy that comes from achieving a level of excellence is a key motivator. This quality must be developed to a certain level before a leader can expect to build on the other four.

Communication

One of the more challenging qualities for a leader to master is that of communication. Leaders are not always predisposed to focusing on their communication skills because they have a natural tendency to look inwards. However, a leader that cannot direct others is not a leader.

Communication is more than making yourself heard, and a leader understands this. The ability to solicit and receive feedback from others, both those superior and junior is a fundamental skill that can elevate her performance. In addition, the ability to maintain her principles and tolerate and consider opposing views can add to the loyalty of her followers and the respect of her peers.

The failure of this skill is the single most common source of a leader’s failure. History is full of examples of leaders that become too arrogant and neglect to communicate with their charges.

Courage

The great thinker Aristotle said: “Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” Simply put, there is no leader without the ability to take risks, make decisions and conquer their fears.

This, unfortunately, is the hardest of the qualities to “learn”, which means that those people naturally able to rise above their self imposed fears will have an easier time inspiring others to overcome theirs. This is a skill that can not be understated.

Aside from the outward display of courage, the courage to stay within the leader’s developed character will always be tested. The requirement to trust in who she is - and the decisions she makes - and not to waiver in the face of defeat is constant.

It’s important to note that courage is not a lack of fear; rather it is the acceptance of fear, and acting in spite of it.

Vision

Vision is the quality that separates good leaders from good managers. As much as peers and juniors may contribute to the success of a leader, without vision, creativity, and initiative to act the leader is nothing.

Having vision is a very difficult thing to learn, but it can arise in those that aren’t predisposed to it in certain situations. If, for example, a leader has a good deal more technical knowledge than her team, she may possess a certain amount of vision. If a leader is acting on a dream, as an entrepreneur might, she may have naturally given enough prior thought to the situation that she may appear visionary.

True vision, however, is a talent that comes from experience and instinct. The ability to think strategically; to anticipate the actions of others and to act preemptively herself displays the true talent of a leader.

Intelligence

Like courage, intelligence is a difficult quality to master without a natural affinity towards it. Being intelligent is not simply about knowledge or skill, rather it is the continuous application of knowledge towards the correct action.

Put simply, leaders will need to be problem solvers, they need to take their life’s worth of knowledge, relate it properly to the task at hand, and direct action towards a favourable outcome. Often, time will be a factor, and several facts about the situation will be unknown.

Leaders make mistakes, but they learn from these mistakes. Leaders also draw on unrelated experiences to assist in their decision making, often using courage and vision to “think out of the box”.

There are no dumb leaders that are successful for extended periods.

Master These Qualities, and You’ve Mastered Leadership

The combination of these qualities, character, communication, courage, vision and intelligence combine to create a successful leader in any field. To master what it is to be a leader, one simply has to master each of these, and use them together everyday.

Although it sounds straightforward, this is a lifetime of learning. By recognizing these traits, you’ll be able to enhance your application of them, as well as identify - and encourage - them in others.

Accepting these qualities as universal, can the art of leadership be learned? Can you build leaders from nothing as many consultants would have you believe, or is leadership a talent you are born with? Keep reading the Leadership Primer to learn more.