Below is an excerpt from the book The Character of a Leader by Harry Wetherbee.
While there exist an infinity of definitions, checklists, and “secrets” of leadership out there, in the end, no one can hand it to you on a platter. Like all those things of value in life, leadership is something you have to work at, constantly refining your understanding of yourself, your mission, your team.
But people like checklists so, for better or worse, here are some of the qualities that characterize a true leader. Shared values like these help focus your organization’s efforts toward a common objective, give it cohesion, and ultimately enable you to achieve mission success. But remember, it’s not enough just to be these things. Part of being a leader is demonstration. You must be seen to have these qualities; you must consciously ensure that the troops understand this. Every day, you must earn their respect and loyalty if they are to follow you. Make no mistake—they will be watching you and taking your measure. You may not be naturally outgoing, but like it or not you’re always onstage, and you must find ways to ensure your troops understand what kind of person you are, what your values are, and that they can see in you someone they can safely entrust themselves to. It’s tremendously effective when they see their leader climb down into the trenches and spend time with the troops, praising great performance and getting underperformers back on track.
On the other hand, if your troops never see you, if you delegate those interactions to others, if you cloister yourself and direct your attention upward toward the executive suite, your effectiveness as a leader will be fatally compromised. Your troops must be in no doubt about your character, your values, your work ethic, your professionalism, your priorities, your skills.
And I’m not talking about acting; this demonstration must be the real thing. (I’m making an important distinction here: some people are naturally outgoing, others are more introverted. It’s not that you can’t be a leader unless you are the proverbial hail-fellow-well-met. If you happen to be an introvert, it just means you have to work hard at these social interactions; acting in this sense does not imply that it’s not sincere, just that it doesn’t come particularly naturally. Plenty of great leaders have been introverts. Just don’t use it as an excuse to avoid these vital interactions with the troops.)
So, here are some of the traits of a leader, not necessarily in order of importance. You will note that many of these traits are overlapping and interrelated.
- Integrity
- Courage
- Selflessness
- Competence
- Rhetoric
- Grace
- Justice
- Vision/Ability to chart a successful course
- Respect
- Tolerance for honest mistakes
- Work ethic/Persistence
- Passion
- Initiative
- Humility
- Reliability
- Maturity
- Judgment
Relax, no one is going to excel in all of these traits, but they do all merit constant attention, contemplation, and effort.
To learn more about these traits in detail, check out my book The Character of a Leader.
HARRY WETHERBEE retired in 2015 after a 48-year career as a senior executive officer of the United States Intelligence Community. He served multiple tours overseas in operational positions and commanded major elements in both the field and Headquarters. Based on this experience, he has written and lectured extensively on leadership. Harry and his wife live in northern Virginia.
