How to Spot a Really Good Leader, by Jonathan H. Westover PhD

Abstract: This article identifies the key traits that indicate truly exceptional leadership potential. It outlines several hallmarks displayed by those able to take an organization to the next level. Traits discussed include passionately casting an inspirational vision that energizes teams, empowering people through trust and accountability to unleash pent-up potential, developing individuals to their fullest capacity through ongoing support and challenges, problem solving resiliently and learning from both successes and failures, and leading with empathy, care for people's well-being, and humility. Real-world examples are provided. It  argues the most impactful leaders demonstrate an integrated set of qualities including visionary inspiration, empowerment, people development, resilience, and a blend of strategy and humanity. Observing how an individual displays these multifaceted traits enables recognition of leadership greatness with the capacity to truly transform an organization.

Episode Transcript

How to Spot a Really Good Leader Abstract (00:00):
This article identifies the key traits that indicate truly exceptional leadership potential.

(00:08):
It outlines several hallmarks displayed by those able to take an organization to the next level.
Traits discussed include passionately casting an inspirational vision that energizes teams,
empowering people through trust and accountability to unleash pent-up potential,
developing individuals to their fullest capacity through ongoing support and challenges,

(00:32):
problem solving resiliently and learning from both successes and failures,
and leading with empathy,care for people's well-being,
and humility.
Real-world examples are provided.
It argues the most impactful leaders demonstrate an integrated set of qualities including visionary inspiration,

(00:54):
empowerment,people development,resilience,and a blend of strategy and humanity.
Observing how an individual displays these multifaceted traits enables recognition of leadership greatness with the capacity to truly transform an organization.
Great leadership is crucial for any organization to thrive,

(01:14):
yet identifying truly exceptional leaders can be challenging.
As a longtime management consultant,I've worked with hundreds of individuals in leadership roles across diverse industries.
Through these experiences,I've recognized some key signs that indicate when someone has the potential to take an organization to the next level as an outstanding leader.

(01:37):
Today will explore several key traits and behaviors that,
when observed together,can help identify leaders who are able to motivate,
inspire and get the best out of their teams.
They Are Passionate and Inspiring Visionaries One hallmark of great leadership is the ability to cast a compelling vision and energize others around it.

(01:58):
Really talented leaders have a strong sense of purpose and are driven by a clear passion for achieving meaningful goals that create value.
They are able to clearly articulate an aspirational vision in a way that resonates and inspires enthusiasm from their teams.
Team members want to follow leaders who display sincere passion and commitment to bettering the organization and making a positive impact.

(02:23):
These leaders make others feel their vision is worth sacrificing for.
Beyond just declaring a vision,superior leaders breathe life into it through their authentic passion and sheer force of personality.
They get people excited to sign up for the cause through energizing speeches,
stories and actions that bring the vision alive.

(02:44):
Their passion is contagious and motivates others to go above and beyond.
The best leaders make their goals feel important,compelling and achievable through their unwavering enthusiasm and commitment to the vision.
They Place Trust and Empowerment at the Center of Their Teams Empowerment and trust are the core constructs of high-performing teams according to extensive research (Anderson & Brown,

(03:08):
2010;
Covey & Merrill, 2006;
Lencioni, 2002).
Really standout leaders understand this intrinsically and make empowerment a top priority.
They place tremendous faith and autonomy in their team members, while also holding them accountable.

(03:28):
These leaders foster an environment of psychological safety where people feel confident to freely contribute ideas and take smart risks without fear of reprimand (Edmondson,
1999).
By loosening the reins of control and cultivating trust,
top leaders enable their teams to thrive,innovate and excel beyond expectations.

(03:52):
Team members feel esteemed and motivated by the responsibility placed upon them.
In return,these leaders demand results-oriented self-management and accountability from their empowered teams.
This delicate balance of trust and accountability is a defining quality of truly exemplary leaders (Collins,

(04:12):
2001).
Their empowering,trust-based approach unleashes pent-up potential and gets the most from each person's unique skills and perspectives.
They Develop People to Their Fullest Capacity Strong leaders understand the true potential and long-term benefit in developing people to grow into new roles and take on progressively more responsibility.

(04:34):
They see the investment in others' career progress as instrumental for organizational sustainability and succession planning.
These leaders take genuine interest in mentoring direct reports and facilitating ongoing skill-building through developmental feedback,
targeted training and stretch assignments (Kouzes & Posner,

(04:55):
2017).
They help team members identify areas for improvement while also accentuating strengths.
By cultivating personal relationships and understanding individuals' motivations,
superb leaders can uniquely challenge and support people to conquer self-limiting beliefs while continually expanding their capabilities.

(05:17):
Highly effective leaders get full discretionary effort from their teams through helping team members achieve their maximum potential and feel ownership over their ongoing growth (Whitmore,
2017).
No one succeeds alone,and the best leaders understand their role is to develop others into leaders themselves over time.

(05:38):
They Are Resilient Problem Solvers Who Learn from Setbacks Life presents obstacles and inevitably,
missteps will occur under any leader's watch.
How they steer through challenges is most telling.
First-class leaders tackle issues head on without making excuses and learn deeply from failures as well as successes.

(05:59):
They are insightful problem solvers committed to finding workable solutions instead of assigning blame.
Their resilient,constructive attitude in the face of hurdles inspires confidence in their navigation skills during tough periods (Kolb & Kolb,
2017).
These leaders are also not afraid to transparently acknowledge mistakes.

(06:22):
They turn imperfections into opportunities for organizational learning and move on even wiser and stronger (Edmondson,
2011).
Adapting and learning from experience is how leaders stay ahead of change.
Rather than self-doubt overcoming them,top leaders emerge empowered after setbacks determined to prevent future pitfalls.

(06:45):
Their tenacious,growth-oriented approach to challenges serves as an exemplar that adversity can be overcome.
They Lead With Empathy,Humanity and Humility Above all,
the most talented leaders understand business success stems from having happy,
engaged people behind the mission.
They recognize emotions do not cease at the workplace door (Goleman et al.

(07:10):
, 2013).
Supersized leaders lead with empathy,care deeply for people's well-being and foster a warm culture where individuals feel fulfilled (George & Sims,
2007).
With genuine humility, they hear others out and admit imperfections.
Instead of self-importance,their humanity gives them the ability to connect,

(07:34):
understand perspectives different than their own and get the best from each unique person.
These compassionate leaders understand people before processes and prioritize feelings over tasks.
Through empathy,humility and a humanistic approach,
they form deep loyalty and high morale (Kouzes & Posner,

(07:55):
2017).
Their interpersonal wisdom cultivates top performance through balanced wellness and humanity in the workplace.
The most impactful leaders display an all-encompassing set of traits from visionary inspiration and empowerment,
to people development,resilience,empathy and humility.

(08:15):
They are passionate drivers who grow both businesses and individuals to new heights through an authentic blend of strategy and humanity.
By observing how an individual demonstrates these multifaceted qualities,
one can recognize leadership greatness with the capacity to transform an organization from good to exceptional.

(08:36):
The best leaders embody traits greater than the sum of their parts that ignite true motivation and maximize collective potential.