What People Look for in Great Leaders #blindpost

This is a blindpost suggested by @gumboshowjoe (who started a new company recently!). It was posted on LinkedIn by the CEO and Chairman of Lockheed Martin and is titled, What People Look for in Great Leaders.

I thought it important to point out that when I write posts like this one, I’m not saying to myself, “What’s so great about me? Let’s write that down.” I have a ton to learn about leadership and entrepreneurship, so when I write posts such as this one I think about what I appreciate in other leaders and where I can improve.

What People Look for in Great Leaders

Vision – People want leaders who have a vision for success and are passionate about getting there. Leaders without vision are like ship captains without a map.

Confidence – Having confidence is something that draws people to a leader. The important thing to realize with confidence is that it doesn’t have to mean that the leader is always right. No, confidence is a state of mind that allows a leader to say, “I’ve assessed the variables and at this point in time, THIS is the best course of action. If it turns out that this decision is wrong, I’m certain we will adjust and find ourselves headed in the right direction once again.”

Humility – I personally believe that people respect leaders more when they admit mistakes and take accountability. It’s a sign of weakness – in my opinion – when anyone (especially a leader) is either too obtuse or too arrogant as to take accountability for decisions. It’s ok to make the wrong decision, which leads me to…

Decision-Making Ability – For people that haven’t worked with a leader that is unable to make decisions, this one probably sounds odd. But for those that have been in the position of working for someone that cannot make decisions, it can feel like the leader is slowly choking the life out of the business.

Positivity – Leaders that walk around talking about everything that is going wrong – and there are always things going wrong – start dragging everyone else down. People want leaders that are positive, who understand sh&t happens and can roll with it. Pessimism is never a quality I’ve seen in successful leaders.

What did I miss? What are qualities that YOU look for in leaders?

~ if you liked this blindpost, here are more you can check out. And a handful of my friends will suggest blindposts for me to write from time to time, please feel free to do that too!