Each and every year leadership experts roll out their latest theories about what makes leaders great. Taking a snapshot of who is saying what, it seems that most commentators are missing the point. Not all great leaders share the same traits or strengths. Very few, if any, great leaders are truly well-rounded. In fact, great leadership is not about individual leaders at all — it is about strong leadership teams building sustainable, strength-based cultures.
A search for "What makes great leaders?" reveals dozens of articles on the subject. Some refer to traits, some to qualities, a few to performance, and still fewer to teams.
Writing for the World Economic Forum, Daniel Dobrygoowski argues that self-reflection is the only trait shared by great leaders. According to Peter Economy, The Leadership Guy at inc.com, the best leaders exhibit clarity, decisiveness, courage, passion and humility. Meanwhile, Jim Rohn, writing in Success, identifies seven traits of great leaders — strong yet not impolite; bold yet not bullying; humble yet not timid; proud yet not arrogant; humorous yet not foolish; and, of course, realistic. Jami Oetting at HubSpot makes a case for ten shared leadership traits: communication, integrity, values, vision, confidence, curiosity, positive attitude, competence and empowerment.
As an accredited Strengthscope360™ and StrengthscopeTeam™ facilitator, many of these traits and characteristics will sound familiar. However, the research upon which they are based and the collective experience of working with leaders points to one uncomfortable truth: there is no such thing as a list of leadership traits, or of a peak performing, well-rounded leader.
What Good Leadership Is Really About
Good leadership is about knowing and optimising natural strengths — both one's own and those of the team — by practising four Stretch Leadership Habits:
- Sharing vision — setting stretch goals and optimising own strengths
- Sparking engagement — optimising the strengths of others
- Skillfully executing — building and reinforcing a strengths-based culture
- Sustaining progress — recognising and celebrating success
With the vast majority of commentary about leadership focusing on individual leaders in politics, sport and business, the question worth asking is whether it is time to widen the discussion to reflect current research — to stop focusing on a single leader and start focusing on leadership teams.
A Real-World Example: Iceland at Euro 2016
The Icelandic football team demonstrated the power of strength-based team leadership at Euro 2016. It is no coincidence that a country with a population smaller than Leicester so consistently overachieved. A strong football coaching culture and leadership team, headed by two coaches with complementary strengths, and supported by a national Football Association that focused on strengths — coaches and players in positions that maximised their natural strengths — strategy, facilities and developing the game rather than individual egos, and a culture of success all certainly helped. The Iceland qualifying homecoming captures that culture powerfully.
How such a strengths-based coaching culture innately practised each of the four Stretch Leadership Habits is explored beautifully in Barney Ronay's superb Guardian article, Football, Fire and Ice: the inside story of Iceland's remarkable rise. That is what is so powerful about these distilled leadership habits — it is possible to reflect on any great team performance, whether the team has purposefully embedded these habits or not, and find evidence that they have. Which makes them eternal truths.
Putting the Framework into Practice
A strengths-based approach purposefully embedded in a leadership journey is shared in the highly readable leadership fable Optimise Your Strengths, written by the creators of the various Strengthscope™ psychometric tools and coaching approaches referenced above. It is an accessible way to get to grips with this simple and proven leadership framework — well worth the time of anyone for whom any of the above resonates.
How Professional Academy Supports Your Journey
Professional Academy offers a range of management and leadership qualifications as well as bespoke in-company training for those looking to develop their leadership skills and build stronger, more effective teams. Whether working towards an accredited CMI Level 3 or CMI Level 7 qualification, Professional Academy supports learners with over 27 years of experience in professional development.
To find out which qualification is the right fit, use the Qualifications Navigator or book a call with an advisor today.
