Five Characteristics of a leader

five characteristics that set “leader managers” apart from “run-of-the-mill managers”:

1.     Leader managers are long-term thinkers who see beyond the day’s crisis and the quarterly report.

2.     Leader managers’ interests in their companies do not stop with the units they head. They want to know how all of the company’s departments affect one another, and they are constantly reaching beyond their specific areas of influence.

3.     Leader managers put heavy emphasis on vision, values, and motivation.

4.     Leader managers have strong political skills to cope with conflicting requirements of multiple constituents.

5.     Leader managers don’t accept the status quo.3

3 3. John W. Gardner, “The Nature of Leadership,” Leadership Papers #1, Independent Sector, January 1986.

Maxwell, John C.: Developing the Leader Within You. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999, c1993