The Traits of Great Business Leaders
We’ve all been exposed to good and bad leaders and we know what it looks like. I’ve been collecting and studying lists of leadership traits from different academics, authors, and successful business leaders and have been refining this list of how they handle different distinctions in business. Obviously, there are many more of these distinctions than I have listed, but I have found this to be a useful starting guide for my own decisions and dealings. I’ve also found it to be a good list to look at retrospectively to analyze different leadership scenarios and as a conversation guide for the people that I lead alongside.
There are many ways to get big things done. Both good and bad leaders may achieve productive, short term financial result, but only one of these types leaves a legacy, taps into the creativity of others in pursuit of a worthwhile goal, and inspires people to achieve when no one is looking. These leaders, who tap into the possibility of the people they lead, are great leaders, whom I title “inspiring” while those who get things done, but leave a wake of pessimism, use fear, negativity, “risk management” to drive their teams, I call “manipulating.”
List of Traits:
The list is far from comprehensive, but I have found it to be useful in retrospectively observing my own leadership behaviors in all sorts of environments. I’ve found myself on both sides of the charts at times and am constantly striving to shift left. If you have anything to add, I’m eager to hear your thoughts and open to making adjustments.
If you liked this, please engage with the content, share it and leave me some feedback, encouraging or constructive. If you have another list to share, I’m eager to take a look.
REFERENCES:
In order of influence
Leadership Reckoning, by Thomas Kolditz Ph.D. (2021)
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey (1989)
Eupsychian Management, by Abraham Maslow (1965)
12 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell (1993)
Speed: How Leaders Accelerate Successful Execution, by Zenger and Folkman (2016) → Study of 300K+ Leaders
Principles, by Ray Dalio (2017)
Invent & Wander, by Jeff Bezos (2020)
Great Business Leaders, by Sean Flaherty (2018, 2021)
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni (2002)
The Essential Wooden, by John Wooden (2018)
Note: I could not paste a list into Medium, so I attached images of the chart from my notes. Reach out to me: sflaherty@itx.com if you want a PDF of the article.
