What is Leadership?

Leadership is a difficult concept to define and what is good leadership in one situation may not be effective in another. Fernández-Aráoz explained that emotional intelligence (EQ) is a better predictor of management performance. Do you agree? I believe that simple things like the Golden Rule are the foundation of good leaders. The foundation of my leadership philosophy is: Integrity, Loyalty and Team Work. These must exist than we can begin to assess technical skills for the task at hand. 

The following

1. Self-concept: Does the leader have a concept of self? Is it healthy and strong enough to navigate treacherous waters intuitively, as well as develop and motivate staff as though the staff developed the ideas themselves?
2. Persistence: Is the leader assertive? Do they drive programs to successful fruition? Are they highly self-motivated or an order-taker in disguise?
3. Empathy: Does the leader have the ability to connect with employees and customers?
4. Commitment: Is there a demonstrated willingness to make a substantial personal commitment of time to the people in the business?
5. Dependable values: Does the leader have a personal style and experience that reflects a core philosophy of operation (a value set)?

As any leader recognizes, putting the right candidate in the right seat is just one stop on the talent management bus. I often refer to this as putting square pegs in square holes and round pegs in round holes. The goal is to get fish to swim and tree-climbers to climb.