Leadership Trait #5
We continue our ten
part series on Leadership Characteristics based on a Harvey McKay weekly blog.
The research for
these ten words came from a four-year series of executive seminars conducted by
Santa Clara University and the Tom Peters Group/Learning systems. This list first appeared in Management Review
Magazine). These thoughts are my own
creation.
Leadership Trait #5
Intelligence
When
we break down the word “Intelligence” on the synonym grid, the word we most resonant
with is "ASTUTE".
When
we break down the word "ASTUTE", we find –
“Good judgment
“Judicious
“Incisive”
“Astute” and “leadership” seem natural fits. And leaders don’t get to lead for long unless
they show a good sense of good judgment.
Good judgment is needed in everything from personnel issues to product
development, marketing and research. It
becomes a delicate balancing act between good business sense and good common
sense mixed with one’s ability to choose and lead the right team to accomplish
the stated objectives.
How
many different ways can we say “good
judgment” when it comes to a leadership quality we desire?
Have
you heard this age-old joke?
A management
guru was once asked how he got to be so successful.
His
response: “Good judgment.”
Next
question: “And how did you learn the art of good judgment?”
“Bad judgment.”
It
seems to me that intelligence is a learned trait, not an endowed trait. Yes, some individuals are born with some
measure of a greater capacity in brain power, but left untended, it can soon deteriorate.
The
way we improve in any endeavor is to learn from our past. Hopefully we make enough smart decisions as
leaders along the way and learn enough early enough from our bad mistakes so
that we can gain a foothold and lead from a position of strength.
That
seems to be the essence of intelligent leadership. The past becomes a road-map to the future, as
long as we remember and learn.
Think
about that one.
P Michael Biggs
Offering
Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word
at a Time
No comments:
Post a Comment