7 Attributes of a Great Leader
Those who know me well are aware I am obsessed with the sport of football – also known as soccer to my U.S. friends. I started playing at a young age in Egypt, continued until my knees decided I was done, and now I count myself as one of the estimated 5 billion fans tuning in for FIFA World Cup 2022 matches – sometimes before the sun rises in my hometown of Toronto.
The World Cup, and sports in general, offers many lessons that can be carried over to business. Chief among them is the importance of effective leadership, which is on display daily during this tournament.
It’s a topic many of us in business think about a lot, particularly at the end of the year as we strive to finish strong. So I wanted to share my perspective on what makes a great leader, in just seven alliterative words. To be clear, this isn’t a list I can take credit for. These are attributes I have assembled through three decades of observing and learning from some of the best leaders in the world, with a sprinkling of my own trial and error for good measure.
1. Confident A great leader has confidence in themselves, the team they lead, the organization they are part of, and the strategy of that organization. They exude confidence in every interaction they have, extending to body language. Our teams read us like an open book, and if confidence and conviction isn’t there, they're going to notice it, react to it, and emulate it.
2. Calm While a great leader has a sense of urgency and an understanding of the challenges, they have a demeanor that brings calmness to their team, colleagues, and clients. I’ve witnessed time and time again that it is very difficult to throw calm leaders off their game. No matter what crisis emerges, calm, clear-headed decision making always wins. ?
3. Committed An effective leader is “all in” through the good AND challenging times. They're not just committed when the pipeline is strong, when their team is all A players, or when they’re on a winning streak. There’s no question they are committed all the time, no matter the circumstances. ?
4. Consistent Great leaders are consistent and stable forces for their teams. They don't change who they are or what the core focus is for them and for their team. If guidance and priorities are a constantly moving target, teams will zigzag and ultimately lose trust in their leadership.
5. Clarity Effective leaders communicate with precision and are very clear. They think about how best to communicate for impact, which means making sure they stay on message and keep it straight forward and simple. ?Many times, simplicity is what brings the clarity.
6. Constructive When great leaders coach and give feedback, they do it with a purpose, with the clear intent to help the people they are coaching become better at what they do, whether it is to be even more efficient, effective, or impactful. I find the most successful coaching comes when leaders use fact-based conversations, rather than making it personal.
7. Compassionate Effective leaders care and they care genuinely. ?I learned a long time ago from a mentor that when someone is having a rough experience or a fantastic experience, don’t take the easy path of texting/emailing. Pick up the phone and call so the person can hear the compassion in your voice, in your tone, and in your demeanor.
So those are what I’ve come to view as the seven attributes of an effective leader. I’m sure many of you have your own set of attributes as well, so please feel free to share in the comments section.
I'll leave you with a final thought -- there's no such thing as perfect leadership, but there is such a thing as effective leadership. And while I won’t publicly speculate who will win the World Cup, I can assure you the winning team will be hoisting the cup largely because they exhibit effective leadership, on and off the pitch.
Just came across this great article, Ayman Antoun. For sure, excellent 7Cs of leadership. I will print and keep handy for effectiveness and implementation. I would also add #8 (since we had our big dose of soccer), which is Coaching. Effective leader work hard to coach their teams and provide them with opportunities to grow. Speaking of soccer, hoping to see Mo Salah next world cup here in America :)
Thank you Ayman Antoun. I loved the simplicity of your 7 attributes of leadership. Brilliant, relevant and actionable!
Senior Vice President of Sales, Growth Markets at SAP
2 年Great article Ayman. I still remember the advice you gave me over twenty years ago, as if it was yesterday. The 8th C for your list….”Client”. You would say whenever you’re trying to get anything done internally always look at it from the Clients lens and bring that perspective and their voice to the table. It’s never “I” or “we” need this……but instead it’s about what the Client needs to be successful. By representating their voice you can break down any internal silos and get everyone to collectively focus on what really matters the most…… Effective business leaders understand it’s always about the Client. Thank you for your mentorship throughout the years….It was great seeing you a few weeks ago.
Senior Solution Engineer / Pre-Sales - Cloud ERP, Financials, SCM, Leadership Community Advocate
2 年Thanks for sharing Ayman This group is for our youth leaders: please join. https://www.dhirubhai.net/groups/43224/
CEO First Pass Innovation Inc.
2 年Ayman, I consider myself fortunate to have served on your team and experienced your effective leadership firsthand.