Leadership

What is the key ingredient to leadership? Tell us about someone you think is an ideal leader and describe the unique characteristics that make people want to follow him/her.

Comments

[Geoff Miller]

The first person I think of when I hear or read the word "leader" is Joe Torre. Torre's leadership characteristics would certainly tranlate well in the corporate world as well. He almost never loses his cool, he is a tremendous communicator and he listens to his people. He has the unenviable task of having one of the most difficult and demanding bosses on the planet and he handles his business with grace and an understanding that always keeps him one step ahead of everyone else.

[Dr. Charlie Maher]

There is no one key ingredient to leadership, since the concept has trait and state dimensions and since leadership is best considered, aappise, and developed in relation to a particular organizaion, its mission, as well as to the tasks and demands of organizational members therein who possess explicit authority and other functions. A working definition of leadership, though, is the ability of an individual to coomunciate, guide, and influenc others. However, before an organizational member can be influntial in leading those whom he/she supervises and or collaborates with such as on projects, that individual must become proficent at personal leaderhip that is dealing effectively with his/her own thoughts, emotions, and actions. ---- Dr. Charlie Maher

[Dan Mackinnon]

My feeling on leadership is that its implementation varies greatly depending on the role of the "leader" relative to the group. Good leadership instills confidence in those who are under a leader's command, and I suppose that this condition of "belief" is a key ingredient for successful leadership. However, while I believe strongly in a more authoritarian command-style approach to coach-player relationships (where there are defined systems and goals), at the upper management levels, an intelligent laizes-faire attitude to direction yields better results. I believe the latter to be true, because in management situations where philosophy, strategy and personnel decisions are involved, critical and creative thought processes streaming from mid-level and upper-level managers are essential. Authoritarian direction generally stifles “out of the box” thinking, the absence of which is likely good for individual and team sport, but ultimately fatal for an institution as a whole.

Dan MacKinnon

[Mark Newman]

Joe Torre indeed is a good example, and I agree with the subsequent comments here that there are many, many ways to measure leadership based on existing conditions. To that end, one definition I have of a true leader is a person who can assess her situation, the assets, the opportunity, the people and personalities, and maximize the possible success through that person's own very unique strengths.

Hannibal was an effective leader because he was never surprised in battle. He would disguise himself in enemy attire, sneak into their lair, understand their world, return and then guide his army to assured victory.

There is a very good article in the current Harvard Business Review on Emotional Intelligence, and why it is so important to leadership in today's business.

I work in Major League Baseball, and I once asked John Schuerholz, the general manager of an Atlanta franchise that has won 12 consecutive division titles, what makes a successful GM. Of all the things to which he could allude, he told me it was "savvy" and not being afraid to surround yourself with the best and brightest. For what that's worth...

No one knows the exact answer, but I applaud everyone who tries to find out. - Mark Newman

[Aidran Stims]

Leadership can vary of course, and today there are so many theories, so many definitions that one could harldly expect to know the answer. Yet i have been asked to do just that, to define leadership, simple at first, yet the complexity grows as a person digs deeper. However i do agree, that a leader needs to guide, support, inspire and motivate, but leaderdhip is born from many different circumstances, and cannot be tamed by one definition.

[gtb]

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