Leadership Choices, 2nd of 2

Part 1 of Succeed and Soar’s Leadership series listed Harvard Business Review’s least effective administrators, the Diplomat who avoids conflict and Opportunist who wants to win any way possible. The self-oriented Opportunist manipulates and believes “might makes right.” This “psychologically damaged,” tyrant would also bully.

As former Disney CEO Michael Eisner asked of the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” show suspension, “Where has all the leadership gone? If not for university presidents, law firm managing partners, and corporate chief executives standing up against bullies, who then will step up …”

The Harvard Business Review’s “Seven Transformations of Leadership” found the two most effective leaders are  the Strategist who “generates organizational and personal transformation” and the Alchemist who “integrates material, spiritual, and societal transformation.

For over fifty years, the Center for Creative Leadership has conducted programs in 100 countries and helped over one million alumni. Their list, “12 Qualities of Effective Leadership” includes:

• Self Awareness, meaning this trustee understands their “personality traits, behaviors, anxieties and emotions. While this is a more inwardly focused trait, self-awareness and humility are paramount qualities of leadership.”
• Learning Agility, knowing what to do when you don’t know what to do. Anybody can foster and increase learning agility through practice and effort.
• Integrity, to be consistently honest, moral and trustworthy.
• Gratitude, sincere thankfulness can lead to higher self-esteem, reduced depression and anxiety, and better sleep.
• Resilience, bouncing back from obstacles and setbacks. Responding well to challenges.
• See seven more