As we move forward towards the end of this crisis, rebuilding our economy and our lives, leadership will become more important. We will be building new structures, new and different ways of life, and a new norm. We will be holding a Presidential election, trusting other elected leaders to do the right thing, and looking towards our business leaders for guidance and understanding.
What traits or qualities should we look for; what will define the leaders that deserve following? These questions demand some consideration. There will be many false leaders emerging with greed and self-interest as their motivation. They will try to get you to support and follow them in these difficult times. The following themes may help:
- Motivation - What motivates the individual? Are they willing to sacrifice self-interest for the good of the group?
- Openness - Do they listen to people? Do they seek out other viewpoints and listen to others’ ideas?
- Empathy - Do they have empathy? Do they understand what is happening in your lives and how it impacts you?
- Awareness - Do they see what is happening, what is going on?
- Willingness to follow - Are you following them out of a free will or because you are being forces to do so by others?
- Foresight - Can they anticipate and plan for what will happen in the future or do they simply react?
- Communication - Do they clearly set forth their ideas and vision for the future?
- Making a difference - Are they working towards having a broad based positive impact on people? Are they trying to make a real and lasting difference?
- Growth - Are the doing things to help everyone grow and develop?
- Sense of Community - Are they working towards bridging gaps and building community?
Perhaps you can come up with other traits you would like to see in a leader. Asking these questions is a great exercise to help you to know who to follow, or how you should lead.
