6 Qualities Every Leader Seeks

Every time you hire for a key position in your organization, you dearly hope and pray that the one selected will have some of these key quality traits.  Here they are.

    1. Positive Attitude

This is more than just the Pollyanna syrupy sweet “all is right with the world because I believe it.”  This is the pleasant attitude, the forward seeing attitude and the mindset of “let’s see what we can do about that” positiveness.  Positive attitudes matter.

    2. Loyalty

Are you on our team or not?  Are you fully engaged or not?  Do you believe in our mission and our focus or not?  Those are the questions to ask when determining loyalty.  You don’t need a Judas on your team.  You need committed team players.

    3. Personal Growth

This next quality is something that must be inherent with the candidate.  Are they a growth-minded individual?  Do they spend time in developing self?  This one makes a difference in unspeakable ways.  Look for it.  Ask for it.

    4. Creativity and Applied Creativity

Creativity comes in all sizes, colors and degrees of competencies.  Everyone is creative.  We just show it in different ways.  And I personally believe creativity can be strengthened.  It grows with use, just like a muscle.  The more you exercise creativity the more creativity will come into play.  I know this first hand in my writing and speaking.

    5. Risk Taking

To quote one of my favorite quotes:

“The jump is so frightening between where I am and where I want to be, because of all I may become, I will close my eyes and leap.”

~Mary Anne Radmacher

What might be possible when you take some risks?  This is a question to be weighed and weighed again.  Proceed with care, and then the time comes – jump.  Take the risk.

    6. Decisive Action

Sometimes we don’t have all the facts, and when we don’t, these are the moments when we have to make the tough decisions.  A great leader soon learns when the times call for decisive action and then steps up to the plate and acts in accordance with the situation in hand

Learning decisive action is like going to school every time this course is offered.  We rarely have a history to fall back on.  But we are leaders and we make the tough decisions. 

Success to you as your continue to lead.

(These 6 qualities are from John C. Maxwell's book Be a People Person.  The additional commentary are my own thoughts except for quote used.)

P Michael Biggs

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