Leaders have many characteristics, but according to one executive, three key traits are evident in every successful leader. There’s no magic formula or recipe for “What makes a leader?” Leaders come in all different shapes and sizes, with diverse backgrounds and experiences. That’s why leadership, and more importantly leadership style, is deeply personal. Though countless personality traits, approaches and styles …
RMG Networks’ SVP of Product Marketing explains how leaders are artists who make their visions tangible to others. When I get a chance to go to an art museum with my family or friends, I like to find the galleries with large landscape paintings from the 1800s. Most people, no matter how young or old, art educated or not, can …
SVP of Business Development at Ask.com says effective teaching not only transfers knowledge, but it also boosts the learners’ self-confidence while eliminating their fears. The first time I had a serious conversation about leadership was when I was a Junior Attorney at a French law firm assigned to the top law firm in Estonia. Even though I had less than …
According to one entrepreneur who describes herself as “not your typical business leader,” leadership skills aren’t necessarily derived from formal education. When I began my business in 1985 in order to help improve people’s eating habits and overall health, I knew I had to do it my way. There would be a common sense approach to helping people achieve their …
CMO of The University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business explains how good leaders keep their teams focused on the common goal by empowering (not forcing) them. Famed management thinker Peter Drucker astutely noted that you cannot lead without followers. And you cannot make people follow you for an extended period of time, unless you are the leader of a …
How one business executive adopted lessons on leadership from Colin Powell. One name that comes to mind when I think of leadership is Colin Powell. Powell’s “13 Rules of Leadership” had a profound impact on me when I saw his presentation years ago, and I have kept them in mind throughout my career. These three key takeaways have been …
Robert Vipperman, SVP of HR and Innovation at Alex Lee, explains how the old adage “actions speak louder than words” is of paramount importance in being a leader. Leadership should be defined by action. The motto of the gym where my 16 year-old son and I study mixed martial arts is, “opera non verba,” meaning “deeds, not words.” This …
Inspired by his team, ConceptShare CEO Nish Patel cites “team orientation” as just one of the attirbutes of leadership. I don’t think there’s a universal answer to the question, “What makes a leader?” My own definition of leadership has changed greatly as I’ve gained experience and the perspective of time. What I know today isn’t what I thought leadership was …
Empowering others is a critical component of sound leadership. Leadership is learned and unique. It’s a muscle one needs to constantly exercise and build upon. To me, a leader must have a number of critical skills, the most important of which are the abilities to empower and communicate. The best leaders I have worked with have treated me as an …
According to Larry Mathews, CFO at the Institute for Population Health, leaders are made, not born, and their leadership comes from the situations they face. We have mental images of George Washington crossing the Delaware River, standing up with his foot on the bow of a boat, where he led the Continental Army against the Hessian forces camped in Trenton, …
