The Two Most Important Qualities of a Leader
In my personal experience, the body of work surrounding great leadership has so much written on it, and yet so little of real value. There is so much process with little direction on how to apply it in real life difficult circumstances with challenging people, challenging environments, or when leadership is really needed.
Here are my two cents– coming from my real-world experiences leading in very tough circumstances–for example: leading 7 fast-paced successful company turnarounds. I have led teams from a few people in aggressive growth startups to companies dispersed all over North America and globally with thousands of staff and employees.
So….. what are the two most important qualities of a leader? I have asked this question of hundreds if not thousands of people.
Many people answer as follows: I want an….open door policy, people person, inclusive person, smart and capable, etc. All helpful ideas, but none of these are at the top of my ranking.
My top two traits are these:
VISION: I want to be led by someone who knows where they want to take the team based on a well-considered strategy. I want someone who is very clear in their ability to communicate this to everyone in the organization in a powerful way that engenders high engagement and motivation uniformly amongst the team. I want someone with VISION! Someone who brings the whole team along on the journey…. or if necessary, is not afraid to change them out.
INTEGRITY: The second quality I want is someone who cares for the team members individually and collectively, even at (high) personal cost. This person focuses on always doing the right thing, but only after thinking of the human cost. In my view, these behaviors fall under the banner of Integrity. However, integrity is often misinterpreted by leaders or used inappropriately as a tool vs. a moral imperative. Too often, people can use this broad term incorrectly to serve an agenda, which is why I take the time to review and discuss this with new leaders. It is such an important area for care and consideration!
Leadership is incredibly important and without it, teams fail and are miserable places to work. We are seeing evidence of this all around us, every day.
Conversely, being led well makes life fun, fulfilling, and worthwhile even, and sometimes this can be even more valuable– especially in difficult circumstances. What are your thoughts?
Everyone is the hero of their story. We are not the cast in the leader’s journey, however, gifted they may be. The servant mindset is often discussed, but rarely, truly practiced!
By: Steven Murray, Founder and Managing Director, Firefly Energy Solutions
