We see in life three key elements that go into the making of a true leader: the right innate traits, the right life experiences, and the right character. In observing leadership and working with leaders let me show you what I mean.
The Right Innate Traits ~ There is an old debate about whether leaders are born or made. Some would argue for the belief that leaders are born with certain innate and natural gifts and that these gifts are woven into the leader from the beginning. There are certain features of a person's natural disposition that are critical foundations to their leadership ability. These are not characteristics that can be developed only by training ~ they are innate features or foundational elements in a leader's temperament, disposition from which a leader, a better leader can be made.
The first one is Inquisitiveness. When you are looking for a leader, you want someone who asks lots of questions. People who are no inquisitive simply do not make good leaders. Curiosity is crucial to leadership. People who are content with what they do not know, happy to remain ignorant about what they do not understand, complacent about what they have not analyzed, and comfortable living with problems they have not solved. Such people cannot lead. Leaders need to have an insatiable curiosity. They need to be people who are hungry for answers. Whoever has the information has the lead. Knowledge is power. If you want to be a leader, look for someone who is asking the right questions and genuinely looking for answers.
This sort of inquisitiveness normally comes out in childhood. Most of us have encountered children who ask question after question with non-stop gusto, often wearing out the listener. That is part of the fabric of leadership. The best problem-solvers are people who are driven by an unquenchable enthusiasm for knowing and understanding things. They want to know more and to understand better. And that sort of inquisitiveness is a foundational element of a true leader.
Another foundational trait is Initiative. If a person is wired for leadership, he/she will have drive, ambition and energy. A true leader must be the kind of person who make things happen. A self starter that exhibits the kind of boldness, decisiveness and fearlessness where others fear to tread. These are vital characteristics for all great leaders. Sometimes, they have had to take a step back, undo, retract, or be rebuked. But the fact that they are always willing to grab opportunity marks them as a natural leader. Better to work with a leader like that than to try to motivate someone who is always passive and hesitant. A leader always wants to move ahead. They want to know what they don't know; want to understand what they don't understand, they are first to ask questions and the first to try to answer questions. Taking the initiative, seizing the moment and charging ahead with purpose is the stuff of leadership.
There is a third innate element that makes a true leader is Involvement. True leaders are always in the action. They do not sit in the background telling everyone else what to do while they live away from the fray. A true leader goes through life with a trail of dust behind them That is way people follow them. People cannot follow someone who remains distant. The true leader must show the way. He goes before his followers into battle and is personally involved.
The foundational fabric of a leader is started with an insatiable inquisitiveness, a willingness to take the initiative, and a passion to be personally involved. Now it is up to that leader to recognize that these traits need constant shaping and refinement so that the leader is more aware, can pause and access the best way to respond and then adjust their behaviors in powerful and profound ways that lead to different and more effective outcomes and performances.
The Right Life Experiences ~ How do you take a person cut from rough fabric and refine them into a leader? For one thing, the kind of life experiences that forms the person into the kind of leader they want to be. It is in this sense that true leaders are made, not just born.
Experience can be a difficult and hard teacher. The ups and downs of one's experiences can be dramatic and often painful and full of ups and downs. These tests and difficulties are the kind of experiences every leader must endure and understand. How often crushing defeats and deep humiliation follow hard on the heels of our greatest victories. By understanding our tendencies, our weaknesses and behaviors, a leader is learning to access and better adjust to behave in more effective and productive ways.
All those things leaders learned by experiences helps sustain and preserve them. Sometimes the experiences are distressing, painful and bitter. Other times they are encouraging, uplifting and glorious. Either way, a leader makes the most of these experiences, gleaning from them lessons that help make them into great leaders.
The Right Character ~ Character is absolutely critical in leadership. It does matter in leadership. It matters a lot. In fact, character is what makes leadership possible. People simply cannot respect or trust those who lack character. And if they do not respect the person, they will not follow them. Time and truth go hand in hand. Leaders without character eventually disappoint their followers and lost their confidence. The only reason such people are often popular is that they make other people who have no character feel better about themselves. But they are not REAL leaders.
Lasting leadership is grounded in character. Character produces respect. Respect produces trust. And trust motivates followers. True leadership is properly associated with character qualities like, integrity, trustworthiness, respectability, unselfishness, humility, self-discipline, submission, restraint, self-control, courage, authenticity, story teller, decisive, to name a few.
What leaders come to mind that exhibit these qualities? I can name a few ordinary people who became extraordinary leaders through trail and error and a yearning to become the best version of themselves.
If you want to grow then you must change. Change involves the unknown. The unknown is risky and scary. Real personal growth takes time and it is hard, risky and scary work. You need to slow down and become more curious about yourself; more aware with purpose and intention that will lead to new outcomes and performance for you, your team and your organization. Are you ready for that journey? We would love to hear from you with comments or questions. Send me a note via email at brad@aperiocoaching.net or on Twitter @bparcells.
In Latin, Aperio means to reveal, uncover, to make clear. Coaching is a powerful process of coaching leaders through personal transformation that enables the leader to reveal and illuminate their authentic leadership style.
