In leadership roles, set a good example.

November 21, 2008 by office
Filed under Books, Leadership

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Never fall into the trap of thinking you can set your own rules just because you’re in a leadership position. Instead, the complete opposite is true–you have to be a great example of the benefits of obeying the rules.

The best leaders don’t exercise dominion over people. Instead, effective leadership is maintained through mutual agreement. Great leaders earn the respect of their people by being excellent role models and then use that respect to achieve worthwhile things.

Good leaders are always decisive. They can be that way because they know the facts well in advance. They surround themselves with competent advisors and then listen. This requires ongoing and candid information to be flowing, particularly about problems. Great leaders have experience and they lead from the front in a crisis. They take risks and are prepared to enter into arenas of the business world where success is not guaranteed and where public failure is an ever present possibility.

The core attributes of an effective leader are:

Integrity: the consistency to do what you say and follow through on everything that is required.

Courage: the desire to engage in challenging activities where risk is an integral element. Courage also means leaders are prepared to stand against pressure and do what is rights rather than what is popular.

Vision: the ability to take the long-term view and move towards the right place, even in the face of immediate difficulties and challenges.

Commitment: not being swayed by the emotions of the moment or the challenges in front of you but believing you own abilities and those of the people within your organization.

Empathy: taking responsibility for bad news even if generated by the actions of others, combined with the ability to level with others and tell them the facts in a straightforward manner.

Humility: not thinking you know all the answers already, but being willing to listen to the advice and counsel of trusted friends and advisors.

Confidence: the internal belief that you will survive and prosper even in the middle of a highly problematic situation or marketplace challenge.

It is noteworthy that only humans can possess ethical standards and only humans can provide leadership to organizations. A business itself can’t have ethics. Nor can an organization’s physical assets–its buildings or equipment. Leadership is very much a human activity, and the greatest leaders have always been those who set the right example and obey the rules.

Although business itself may well be amoral, its leadership is dictated by moral decisions. It sometimes takes great courage to follow the moral compass in the face of marketplace pressures, but no challenge alters this fact: Regardless of who is holding the compass, or how they are holding it, or what time of day it happens to be, north is always north, and south is always south. Following one’s moral compass is not for the faint of heart or the cold of feet. Leaders worthy of the name understand and accept that they are chosen every bit as much for their values and courage as for their administrative skills, marketing savvy, or visionary outlook.

–Jon Huntsman

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