Whether the topic of leadership arises within the context of the world of politics or in the business world, the challenges of leadership are all around us.

So what actually makes for a good leader?

Just recently, I came across an article in Harvard Business Review which deals with the topic of leadership competencies (according to leaders from across the globe).

As a survey it is interesting to have leaders take on a bit of a self assessment on the topic and certainly this provides some insight into how they view the topic of leadership.

So here are some of my personal observations based upon the qualities identified:

1. The overarching observation points to the real importance to “soft skills” or the “emotional intelligence” (EI) of a leader.  No question there is little doubt that these soft skills are critical to individual success. For the purpose of mobilizing and building trust, I’m sure few will argue they are key in getting people on-board.
2. The effective leaders use EI in a way to create a safety net for their employees to foster personal growth and development. I would suggest that it seems that we have to master ourselves first before we can effectively deal with others.
3. Is the high response level for ethical and moral standards a simple reflection about what we might perceive as a lack of such standards in our leadership today?  I wonder if the current observations are driven by the mainstream media reports which highlight this aspect within the leadership circles? After all we continue to observe the shortcomings both in the political and business world when it comes to those in leadership positions who fail to demonstrate this trait.  (The Panama Papers)…
4. A strong sense of a collective team approach vs. an individual approach to success or failure. Leaders need to ensure that there is an element of security associated with the taking of risks.
5. Developing employees is an important leadership responsibility, but how we develop our employees requires a certain degree of flexibility.

Leadership in my view isn’t a pure science. What works based upon the culture of one organization may not readily translate as a model for success in another. However, the capacity of the leader to bring out the best in their people will be best served through their “Emotional intelligence” (EI) than through any other means.

Some studies have shown that people with high EI have greater mental health, job performance and leadership skills!

For more information about OMLI please visit us online at omli.ca