What's a good leader like?

[RandomAnthony]

Ok, in light of some of the Obama talk as of late, I'm curious as to what people think are the actions/characteristics/habits of a good leader. What does a good leader do? What's a good leader like? How does a good leader act? Who do you think have been effective leaders?

Leadership analysis was a significant part of my academic work, and I'm always frustrated with the way the media, etc. covers leaders. I've grown to believe that the media doesn't know shit about leadership and extrapolate back from results in confusing, contradictory ways.

Let me use sports as an example:

1) One team wins a championship with a hard-nosed disciplinarian leader. The media covers the team as if hard-nosed, disciplinarian leadership is the best.

2) Another team wins a championship with a friendly, people-centered leader. The media covers the team as if friendly, people-centered leadership is the best.

I've also grown to believe that charisma is often mistaken for leadership. Now, charisma may be a factor in some effective leadership, but it's certainly not the only factor and (in most cases) not the most important one.

I've also come to believe that no one right leadership strategy/approach/set of characteristics will work in every situations, and it's the leaders who can mindfully adapt to their situations that tend to produce results.

What do you think?

[[deleted user]]

Are you looking for long term leadership or short term leadership? A short term leader can typically be effective by jamming their ideas down ones throat, but will soon alienate most followers, thereby losing most of their leadership ability. A long term leader needs to be flexible and a good listener. They don't necessarily need to know everything, but should surround themselves with people who will be able to find the answers that they need. And if all else fails they they need to have a fall back plan, and the balls to stick with it to get everyone to the end.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Reminds me of an article I read recently, I think it was in the Atlantic, about how Steve Jobs was a total asshole, and a very effective and successful CEO, so the lesson everyone in Silicon Valley took from this was that asshole CEOs were the best kind of CEOs. So Steve Jobs spawned a whole trend of Jobs-wannabe assholes. Needless to say, not everyone appreciates an asshole, and assholish management often backfires.

I don't know that I could list every necessary quality in a good leader, but I would say that a leader needs to be completely invested in his or her organization: on top of things, knowledgeable about every area of the company (or political entity). They have to really care about the organization's success, and its people/workers. At the same time, they shouldn't be fussy micromanagers. They have to be able and willing to delegate. They should be optimists. (No one wants to work for a company whose management is convinced the company is going into the crapper.) But also realists. They need to be able to listen to input from anyone, but be willing to reject it if necessary. They need to have an ethical outlook, because the attitudes and outlooks of management really do spread outward and down. If a leader insists on running an ethical organization, you will have an ethical organization. If a leader allows ethical lapses to happen, they will multiply. I'm really thinking about CEOs I've known here, more than political leaders.

[Mary]

The sports examples you use are interesting. I often wonder about coaches and how their particular style helps or hinders the teams they are coaching and what kind of impact it has on the individual member.
I cringe when I am at a sporting event and the coach is on the sidelines yelling m(mainly demeaning things) at the players and acting like total assholes.
I find it embarrassing for the athlete.
Does a successful coach need to be such a jerk to succeed?
I have asked this question of many athletes and coaches alike and their answers are all over the place.

[Kevin]

i know what you're talking about now RA


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