What makes a great leader?

I was curious about what people think makes a great leader. So, I asked the following question to my audience:

I love the community of leaders I have built. Here is just a sampling of the insightful comments I got back:
- Win!
- integrity
- an open mind
- self awareness
- train your people
- long term vision
- be able to say no
- the art of delegation
- guide, do not impose
- do not micromanage
- give a good example
- empower people/team
- do not run from conflict
- communicate effectively
- share their own mistakes
- ability to set a clear vision
- know how to manage money
- be an enabler for their teams
- keep cool during difficult situations
- inspires by actions instead of words
- paint a picture of a better tomorrow
- understanding of their business model
- champion causes that align with their objectives
- challenge their ideas to stretch their perspectives
If you have more to add to the conversation, I’d enjoy hearing about it.
───
Closing thoughts
Leadership is not a gift you are born with. The skills can be learned and improved upon. You have it within you to be a great leader.
Look for simple, yet effective methods to improve.
My advice is to pick one area to focus on, and anchor in some changes to your approach.
Master that, and repeat.
Enjoyed this article?
Subscribe to the Leadership Advantage Newsletter for weekly insights on breakthrough leadership delivered to your inbox.
Keep Reading

10 Ways Leaders Can Optimize for Remote Teams
Remote teams are here to stay. I have been leading distributed product dev teams since 2001. Here are 10 leadership tips on how to optimize your remote team. Learn how often to meet face to face, and when to not meet at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq5C3lz-0fw Summary 1️⃣ Think through the rhythm of the team. What needs […]

What cancer and a brain injury taught me about true leadership
I’ve told the story of founding Plum Analytics many times, but I rarely mention what happened three weeks after I started the company: my father was diagnosed with cancer. We had started Plum Analytics based on what we thought our target customers wanted: better metrics for research evaluation. We began with a market opportunity, a business […]