领导力的6个特征

THE SIX ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES- John Di Frances -Leadership is the foundation for all organizations, whether corporate, nonprofit or

government. Leadership is a high calling and responsibility, upon which all else the

organization is or does rests. Moreover, leadership is always top down, never bottom ore, much has been written on the subject of leadership and many writers and

speakers have tried to list those attributes they believe are essential for leaders. However,

most often these attempts focus upon traits that make a leader personable, affable and

popular. The following six attributes are results of character and personal integrity and as

such are deeply seated within those who possess them. They must be developed through

self-discipline, time and pressure; they are not inherited; and cannot not feigned, at least

not for long. Such attributes are the result of instruction, commitment and a deep concern

for what is right, as well as for the best interests of others. They are modeled on a daily

basis. Tested and proven in times of trial and adversity. Moreover, they are as precious

as gold and equally ute #1 of Leaders – Set High StandardsLeaders set high standards for themselves and those who follow. I am reminded of

leaders like Booker T. Washington, who began with a vision, not of what was, but of

what could and should be. Born a slave shortly before the outbreak of the civil war, he

taught himself to read. As an adult, he saw the need to establish a college for ex-slaves,

who were excluded from the existing higher education system. When he first arrived at

Tuskegee, AL, where he had expected initial funding and a building suitable to his

purpose in founding the Tuskegee Institute, he found only ruins. At this point, most of us

would have given up or decided it was not the right place or time, retreating to wait for a

better turn of circumstances. Instead Booker T. Washington began by teaching his

students to garden, so that they might eat and sell the excess to raise the funds necessary

to buy books. Then he taught them to make bricks from which to build the buildings and

for sale to raise cash for the other materials needed. Booker T. Washington knew that

nothing of true value resulted from any course of action other than by hard work. Indeed,

this was his motto and a foundation upon which his students began their education. He

set high standards for himself and his students and he expected ght 2005 by John Di FrancesPage 1 of 5

Attribute #2 of Leaders – Live Your Standards and Mentor Those Who FollowLeaders live up to the standards they have set and mentor those who are attempting to

follow them. Many leaders are consistent in demanding of themselves compliance with

the standards that they espouse. Those who do not are only fooling themselves. Nothing

disqualifies a would-be leader faster than a double standard, one for them and another for

those under their authority. Anyone who thinks that they can maintain such a charade is

sorely mistaken. Their subordinates will soon see through their duplicity and loyalty will

rapidly be replaced by disgust and only grudging obedience and lip most leaders fail however, is in mentoring those who follow. For some reason

leaders expect that their followers will learn through osmosis, how to attain to the

standards set by their leadership. Certainly, modeling by the leaders is a necessary

component of the process, but much more is needed. You do not train a child from

infancy on through adolescence by modeling proper behavior alone. It takes consistent,

concerted effort verbally communicating not only what is expected, but how. Yet for

some reason, most leaders think that merely establishing the standards is all that is

necessary. Effective leaders invest themselves into their followers. The best example

from all of history is Jesus. He spent three years teaching, mentoring, living out his

standards intimately before a dozen followers, who later set the Roman world on fire. In

that short three year period, Jesus’ disciples came to see, accept and claim His vision as

their own and the remainder of their lives clearly reflected His profound impact upon

them. He became to them the embodiment of the standards He ute #3 of Leaders – Create and Share a VisionEvery successful leader must instill the vision of where the organization is going and

what is necessary to attain that goal. Without a vision, there is no unity. I am constantly

amazed at the number of organizations that continue year after year in a near total

absence of vision and therefore unity. In the corporate world, research and development

departments create products and services for which there is no market, manufacturing

continues to produce items with which customers are dissatisfied, find difficult to

assemble and use. Engineering creates designs that are costly and inefficient to

manufacture and customer service forces customers to endure a labyrinth of voice mail

selections and web site menus that frustrate and confuse customers seeking a “real”

person with whom to speak. Even in organizations that tout themselves as “visionary”,

all too often this vision extends to only some aspects and functions of the organization.

Rarely does it permeate its essence and fully to its core. A splintered vision or one that is

implemented in a fragmented manner will always result in competing interests and

elements within the organization, vying for resources, each thinking their particular

function and sphere of effort is most important. Winston Churchill had an enormous task

Copyright 2005 by John Di FrancesPage 2 of 5

in the war years following the demise of the Chamberlin government. How to unify and

develop Britain’s terrified populace and rapidly dwindling industrial base into a single

cohesive force with the will to defeat Nazi Germany, despite the seemingly impossible

odds and specter of impending invasion. What did Churchill say at such a critical hour in

Britain’s history? “I can offer you only blood, sweat, toil and tears”, was his call to the

nation. He certainly did not sugar coat his message. Britain responded with everything

its people had, hanging on through seemingly ceaseless bombings, rocket attacks and

finally the Battle of Britain. His words of encouragement, simply: “Never, never, never

give up.” He possessed a singular vision in those dark days of World War II, before the

United States entered the war against Nazi Germany and he communicated it ceaselessly

to a nation that hung on by a thread. Effective leaders are driven by a singular vision, not

of what is, but of what is to become and they make sure that everyone around them

understands and buys into that ute #4 of Leaders – Make the Hard Choices When NecessaryEffective leaders are characterized by a willingness to make the hard decisions when

necessary. Gene Krantz, the Apollo 13 Houston Flight Director provides an excellent

example. Half way to the moon on a “routine” space mission, an on-board explosion rips

the outer shell of the spacecraft, damaging critical life support and propulsion systems.

The best solution is also the one that appears most impossible. Continue the mission to

the moon and use its orbit as a slingshot to return the three astronauts to earth. The only

problem is that they lack the necessary life support and power for a trip that long.

Krantz’s answer, declare first that no astronauts will be lost on his watch. “Failure is not

an option”, no matter how impossible the present dilemma appears. Then make the

irreversible commitment to the best course of action. The explorer Cortez burned the

boats, thus making retreat impossible. Yet it is human nature that at times of extreme

crises, the majority want to keep their options open. True leaders, however, recognize

that for the organization to reach the desired goal, there must be total concentration on the

chosen solution and everyone must know that going back is not an ute #5 of Leaders – Be Visible and Out FrontLeaders, to be respected, must be visible. That is visibly out front. The unseen leader is

the leader not followed. Visibility is critical and fortunately in our age of global

telecommunications, this is easily done. However, being visible and being “out front” are

not necessarily one in the same. Marriott Hotels is interesting in their practice of very

conspicuously placing a painting of the Marriott’s, father and son, in the lobby of each

hotel. Why did they do that? Vanity? No. Identity. To both their clientele and staff,

this father and son team was present and leading the way, not just from their presence in

Copyright 2005 by John Di FrancesPage 3 of 5

their painting, although it was certainly a constant and graphic reminder that someone

was actually at the helm. Everyone in the Marriott organizations knows someone is

ultimately responsible and furthermore, they know who that someone is. Everyone

knows where the buck stops, as Harry Truman would say. In today’s far flung

organizations spanning contents, in your organization, whatever its size, do people really

know where the buck stops? Do they, customers and staff alike, have a clear and

constant sense that someone, a real person, not voicemail, is really in charge? And more

than in charge, do see you as their leadership, being out in front, or merely locked away

in some ivory tower corporate office, out of sight and out of l George Patton is a classic example of out front leadership. Old blood and guts

George. His men loved him and his men hated him, often at the same time. Patton had a

reputation for incurring the heaviest casualties in the opening hours of every conflict in

which he engaged, and his troops knew it. They also knew that he had the lowest

casualty rates per engagement, because he was unafraid to commit his resources

unsparingly and without regard to the lives that would be lost in so doing. He knew that

to save the most men from death, he must be willing to endanger the most and yes, send

some to their deaths, in some cases, many. His troops also knew one other thing about

their leader. That when he sent them into combat, no matter how savage, he, General

George Patton, would go with them. Leading from out-front. A habit for which, he was

repeatedly subjected to criticism from his superiors. Contrast this with General William

Westmoreland in Vietnam. Clearly there were many reasons for the morale problems

suffered by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War and no one cause can be singled out as

overriding, but the fact that as his infantrymen lay in the muddy rice patties, watching

their buddies dying for a cause they did not understand, they also knew that their

commanding general was dining daily in Saigon, on gourmet food served on fine china

and linen table cloths, served by G.I. attendants wearing starched white waistcoats and

white gloves. Patton’s response to his superiors when criticized for his exploits at the

frontlines of battle was characteristically that, “he knew no way to lead from behind”.Attribute #6 of Leaders – Instill Hope in Those Who FollowThe final attribute of successful leaders is their ability to instill hope. None of us can

continue to grow, develop and perform at our highest potential without hope. Hope for

success, hope for recognition and reward and most importantly, hope that indeed we can

make a difference in the long-term outcome. Hope supplies the essential fuel that enables

the human spirit to continue moving forward, especially in the face of severe adversity.

This was the context in which President Lincoln spurred the North forward in light of the

Union’s defeat after defeat in the bloody carnage of the Civil War. A hope that at the end

of the long and terrible night, we would emerge once again as one nation and that this

time, all men would be able to enjoy the privilege of being free.

Copyright 2005 by John Di FrancesPage 4 of 5

ConclusionWe live in a time when cynicism and doubt, especially in regard to leaders and their

motives are rampant in every area of our culture, including not only corporate, but also

government and nonprofit organizations. Would be leaders, to be effective and

ultimately successful, must demonstrate to those they expect to lead, the personal

integrity required to develop within themselves these six attributes. To live out these

attributes, not perfectly, but humanly, including failing, admitting failure and learning

from it. Thereby, leaders can instill within their followers the loyalty and commitment

necessary for them to accept the high standards the leader sets, models and mentors;

adopt the leader’s vision as their own and accept the inevitable hard decisions; for their

leaders are out front, visible; providing hope for the ght 2005 by John Di FrancesPage 5 of 5