Successful Business Leaders

Here is another article by David Dierke, president of AccountMate Software. AccountMate (www.accountmate.com) is an excellent middle-market product that offers users four different versions (SQL, LAN, Express and SaaS) as well as source code, thus enabling firms to select exactly the environment they require and then tools to give then exactly the functionality they require.

The fundamental attributes that define a successful business leader have not really changed in thousands of years when they were first recognized. The prominent attributes were defined at that time as individuals who possessed an understanding of fair ethics and personal integrity–two incredibly simple concepts, yet as vitally important today as they were then.

In 1954, Raymond Cattell, a pioneer in the field of personality assessment, built upon these attributes and developed the Leadership Potential Equation. It is still used today to determine the traits which characterize an effective leader. They are:

Emotional stability: Good leaders must be able to tolerate frustration and stress. Overall, they must be well-adjusted and have the psychological maturity to deal with anything they are required to face.  Dominance: Leaders are often competitive, decisive and usually enjoy overcoming obstacles. They are assertive in their thinking style as well as their attitude in dealing with others.  Enthusiasm: Leaders are usually seen as active, expressive and energetic. They are often very optimistic and open to change. They are generally quick and alert and tend to be uninhibited.  Conscientiousness: Leaders are often dominated by a sense of duty and tend to be very exacting in character. They usually have a very high standard of excellence and an inward desire to do their best. They also have a need for order and tend to be very self-disciplined.  Social boldness: Leaders tend to be spontaneous risk-takers. They are usually socially aggressive and generally thick-skinned. They are responsive to others and tend to be high in emotional stamina.  Self-assurance: Self-confidence and resiliency are common traits among leaders. They tend to be free of guilt and have little or no need for approval. They are generally unaffected by prior mistakes or failures.  Compulsiveness: Leaders are controlled and very precise in their social interactions. They are very protective of their integrity and reputation and consequently tended to be socially aware and careful, abundant in foresight, and very careful when making decisions or determining specific actions.  Intuitiveness: Rapid changes in the world today, combined with information overload result in an inability to know everything. In other words, reasoning and logic will not get you through all situations. In fact, more and more leaders are learning the value of using their intuition and trusting their gut when making decisions.  Empathy: Being able to put yourself in the other person’s shoes is a key trait of leaders today. Without empathy, you can’t build trust; without trust, you will never be able to get the best effort from your employees.  Charisma: People usually perceive leaders as larger than life. Charisma plays a large part in this perception. Leaders who have charisma are able to arouse strong emotions in their employees by defining a vision which unites and captivates them. Using this vision, leaders motivate employees to reach toward a future goal by tying the goal to substantial personal rewards and values.

I believe leaders are rarely (if ever) born. Circumstances and persistence are major components in the developmental process of any leader.