Steven M.R. Covey developed the theme of 'Trust' in The Speed of Trust. Leadership flows from both character and competence. Neither alone is sufficient. The world has seen the evils perpetrated by dictatorial megalomaniacs with an effective process and malicious character.
The most honest, well-meaning individual fails miserably without competence in strategy and execution. Warren Buffett said it another way, "you want intelligence, energy, and integrity in business. But without the latter, you're dangerous."
What qualities should we seek among leaders? Lolly Daskal shares her ideas - self-awareness, business acumen, connections, culture builders, and flexibility.
We can rearrange this in terms of vision. When we:
Look inward - see who we are and what we dream to be.
Look outward - see people as individuals and as a community.
Look backward - find perspective on history, success, and failure.
Look forward - anticipate the future.
Look downward - see the humbling reality of every person's future.
Look upward - seek inspiration and to inspire.
We rely upon our five senses but infrequently call upon our sixth sense (experience). "Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment." Great discoveries sometimes follow great observation (Fleming's discovery of penicillin) or great patience (Edison's lightbulb a triumph of understanding what didn't work). Some lifesaving decisions come solely from experience, as in professional firefighting as explained in Gary Klein's Sources of Power.
As coaches, we grow leaders by distributing power to players. They assume responsibility for the team as they learn to call the defenses and offenses and grow with 'shared accountability'. In No Excuse Leadership: Lessons from the US Army's Elite Rangers, Brace Barber reminds us to "seek accountability and take it; to know yourself and seek improvement." But he also cautions us from his experience on patrol that "everyone gets wet." We have to confront inescapable obstacles which always means unpleasantness at best and danger at worst.
Worthy leaders attract followers who want to embrace their positive ideas, choices, and energy. We're all flawed, but the best leaders have fewer flaws and more willingness to change and remake a better version of themselves as needed. In the same way, encourage leaders to emerge and grow on our teams by being better models and better sharers.