The C's of Leadership

It's amazing how language works.  When I think about leadership, a lot of words beginning with the letter C come to mind:  Curiosity, Collaborative Spirit, Compassion, Connection, Commitment, Conviction, Constancy, Creativity, Consistency, Competency, Core Values, Courage, Clarity and Consciousness.  There may be more but those are the ones that quickly surface.  It's unlikely you could come up with such a long list with, for example, the letter E.  Each C is necessary but not sufficient unto itself to engender great leadership.  They are an ensemble of qualities that call forth specific behaviors that in turn engender congruent systems, processes, and policies.  I'll be exploring their meaning and application in the arena of great leadership as time goes by.  I've already mentioned Curiosity.  It impels us to ask lots of good questions, to seek out the best sources of information and to get people involved in crafting solutions.  Let me mention Collaboration here just briefly in one context.  There is a myth that leaders are "self-made" men or women.  I think Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers has put this to rest.  But let us put flowers on the coffin by affirming that no one ascended to great leadership without the participation of many other people, as mentors, colleagues, followers, students, even distant influencers.  Generally, when we put a bunch of smart people in a room, the IQ goes up...as long as there is Trust--a Core Value--that people can speak their minds freely.  So Collaborative Spirit is another mark of great leaders.  Humility is another Core Value that plays out through Collaboration.  Great leaders certainly have ego drive, but it is tempered by a realistic sense of their own limitations...which is just another reason to reach out and invite others to participate.