If we search on Google leadership We find infinite lists:
10 qualities of a leader; 16 leadership characteristics; 12 leadership qualities; 6 characteristics of an effective leader; and unlimited other communications that provide 3 to 101 important features for leaders.
So what do we do with all this?
One of the problems is that some of these lists confuse traits with skills, but even when we remove skills from the lists, we still run into a big problem: these lists assume that leadership is about gathering the right traits. But that’s not how leadership works.
- Leadership qualities do not exist in isolation; they interact with each other.
- The same mix of leadership characteristics that lead to success in one situation creates problems in another context.
- We may be strong in some traits and weak in others.
- And no list can tell us when to lean on our strengths or when to hold back.
This is because leadership is not about having the right qualities. It’s about understanding our unique personalities and how to be effective in different contexts.
And our features are only one aspect of our personality. We are made up of our motives, emotions, intellect, personality, behaviors and characteristics.
Only when we understand how these parts of us emerge and intersect with our environment and the people in it can we truly lead effectively. Self-interest and self-acceptance are key traits for others.
Let’s see how this played out with one of my clients, Dave.
Case study: When leadership qualities become a blind spot
Dave asked me if I could help him understand why two of his senior executives had suddenly left the company. Dave was the CEO of a 2-year-old Silicon Valley biotech startup that recently closed a $100 million funding round. Dave, a successful cardiologist and researcher, has come up with a new way to achieve this goal drug delivery to the desired location. Innovation Drug delivery meant that Dave and his team were constantly challenged to solve chemical, mechanical, material and technological challenges.
As a clinical psychologist and leadership coach, I begin these engagements by first getting the CEO’s perspective on the problem. Dave, not someone shy far from having an idea, they didn’t know why they left, but they suspected it had something to do with his leadership. My next step was to interview 8 of Dave’s senior executives about their thoughts on his leadership and recent departures.
When talking to executives about the CEO, my questions fall into 3 categories:
- What are the CEO’s unique gifts that make them successful leaders?
- How do they behave in ways that prevent them from being successful?
- What advice do you have for a leader?
Dave’s team described him as brilliant, creative, warm, caring, humble, determined, curious, responsible and passionate about his mission. They also said, “He’s too much of a doctor and doesn’t always know how to act like a CEO,” and “He’s humble before he’s humble, and then he’s arrogant, so people leave the company.” Dave possessed many of the qualities associated with being a successful leader, but is successful leadership as a physician different from being a CEO, and can one be both humble and arrogant? Dave’s team certainly thought so.
I needed more information to determine how I could help Dave.
And then I saw him.
When Dave and his team were busy solving difficult problems, he would ask questions and listen thoughtfully to the answers. Everyone on the team enjoyed the intellectual challenge and worked together towards a solution, and then suddenly Dave announced that he had the answer, thanked everyone, and went about his day. I saw how Dave sometimes behaved as a doctor rather than as a CEO, and how he could be condescending and arrogant.
The same qualities that made Dave a successful leader—his responsibility, curiosity, and determination—were overpowered, and people felt he was arrogant and a terrible boss.
When Dave treated a patient in crisis, his responsibility and persistence were optimized for the patient’s benefit. But as CEO, Dave felt it was his responsibility to respond and be the decision maker, which left his team feeling left out and disengaged.
Essential Readings in Leadership
As I helped Dave see how his strengths were detracting from his success as a CEO, he began to figure out how to share and share responsibilities. decision making achieved the best results with his team. Aware of the moment he wanted to stop asking questions of his team, Dave was motivated to know that he was in danger of becoming arrogant. He had to realize that his leadership qualities often helped him, but his future success depended on his ability to recognize when those same qualities worked against his success.
Self-awareness in leadership: The key to managing traits and avoiding blind spots
So, do successful leaders have certain characteristics? Obviously, it’s not that simple.
First, there are characteristics associated with successful leadership. And many leaders have characteristics that are constantly displayed throughout their careers. But no feature is universally effective.
Leaders who are self-aware of their strengths and leadership behaviors can recognize when these traits are not helping and when they become leadership blind spots. With this awareness, they can be strategic and consider when to express these gifts and when to step back and experiment with different leadership behaviors.
