Time to get back on track. From the Harvard Business Review January Issue the following leadership characteristics are identified:

Leaders are concerned with ideas.

Leaders have the capacity to take emotional signals and make them meaningful in a relationship.

Leaders give attention to how events and decisions affect the participants.

Leaders communicate clear messages and take stands on important issues.

Leaders are concerned with creating new opportunities.

Leaders tend to feel separate from their environment.

Leaders are aggressive.

Here is the Leadership Story (about the boy & violin) that was given in the article:

"This little boy has the appearance of being a sincere artist, and has an intense desire to master the instrument.

"He seems to have just completed his normal practice session and appears to be somewhat crestfallen at his inability to produce the sounds that he is sure lie within the violin.

"He appears to be in the process of making a vow to himself to expend the necessary time and effort to play this instrument until he satisfies himself that he is able to bring forth the qualities of music that he feels within himself.

"With this type of determination and carry-through, this boy became one of the great violinists of his day."

The article's closing point was that aggressive executives are sometimes passed over for promotion because they are, at times, perceived as being difficult to work with. There is much attention given to leadership these days. You might say that this leadership obsession is a fad. Perhaps we value management skills more than we might admit.

The picture is still unclear. More thought is required.......
10:09:46 PM    comment []