But First, Are Traits Important?

In 1948, a prominent early leadership theorist, Ralph Stogdill, published a study which reviewed other leadership studies from 1933 through 1947 “bearing on the problem of traits and personal factors associated with leadership.”   Stogdill found twenty-one “factors”, which upon inspection, clearly can be seen to be personal traits, “associated with leadership”.  He also found six “factors” which, were not personal traits but were associated with the “situation” or the relationship between the status, maturity and skills of the Leader; the needs and interests of the followers; and the objectives to be achieved.  Thus, he concluded that:

...leadership is not a matter...of the mere possession of some combination of traits.

A person does not become a leader by virtue of the possession of some combination of traits….

The qualities, characteristics, and skills required in a leader are determined to a large extent by the demands of the situation in which he is to function as a Leader.

Thus, in 1984, one expert, Thomas Cronin believed that “Trait theory has been thoroughly debunked”. 

But, just as Cronin was supporting the argument against the importance of traits as a requirement for Leadership, others were having second thoughts. While professors Shelly A. Kirkpatrick and Edwin A. Locke recognized that:

…no traits were universally associated with effective leadership and that situational factors were also influential.     For example, military leaders do not have traits identical with those of business leaders.

they also concluded that “…trait theory has made a comeback, although in altered form….” They found that based on “Recent research….the evidence shows that there are certain core traits which significantly contribute to business leaders’ success.”  Since they also recognized the importance of other factors, they cautioned that: “Traits alone, however, are not sufficient for successful business leadership—they are only a precondition.”

That certainly did not stop the academic debate.  According to Bill George, former CEO and now Harvard Business School Professor and others:

During the past 50 years, leadership scholars have conducted more than 1000 studies in an attempt to determine the definitive styles, characteristics, or personality traits of great leaders.  None of these studies has produced a clear profile of the ideal leader.

While academics continued to research and debate the importance of traits, common sense said that certainly, Leadership does not come from the “mere possession” of traits and, indeed, there is no single “combination of traits” that will make a person a Leader.  Certainly, the “situation” in which various Leaders must Lead will differ and, thus, “military leaders do not have traits identical with those of business leaders”. And, clearly since people are different and situations are different, there can be no “ideal leader”. 

Yet observations by practical observers vice academic researchers seem to confirm the idea that, while traits are not the only thing required, Leaders have certain “core traits” in common.  For example, Robert Lear, an experienced real-world Leader who later became active in academia, teaching Executive Leadership in business school, has observed; “There is not-and never will be-a single list of leadership qualities that apply to all CEOs. Each CEO is different....”  But, he also concluded that, “…each possesses—and does not possess—a number of the usual list of suspected attributes.”   Likewise, military historian John Keegan who has studied a range of military commanders over the centuries notes that “traits...and the behavior method is misleading and does not truly capture what makes a particular leader successful.”  Yet, Keegan also says: “Certainly I see commonality of traits and behaviors in commanders of all periods and places.”  Sal Marino a business CEO turned academic says:

Successful chief executives share common characteristics and so do unsuccessful ones.  Establishing those characteristics is the first step to achieving success.

Barbara Kellerman, a Harvard Professor of Public Policy, has recently been studying the difference between successful Leaders and people who she terms “bad leaders”—those who are incompetent, rigid, intemperate, callous, corrupt, insular or evil.  She says:

…even though the trait theory of leadership is out of fashion in academe, it’s silly to pretend that traits don’t matter.  Traits once considered of consequence still are….

In short, the trait approach to leadership is a relatively simple way of understanding why people behave the way they do.  Moreover, whether a leader has or lacks a particular trait is likely to tell us a fair amount about how and why good, or bad, leadership was exercised.

Thus, as Joseph Nye notes “The traits-centered approach has not vanished from studies of leadership.” and highlights research that indicates “Traits have come to be seen as consistent patterns of personality rather than inherited characteristics.”  Montgomery Van Wart notes that while:

We have known for over a half-century that a purely trait-oriented approach to leadership is woefully insufficient to do more than give a very general indication of leadership capacity.  

But, he cites a study conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in 1991 of 10,000 government managers and lead workers found that;

Traits and skills crowded out work behaviors as most important….So even though their utility is highly contextually [situationally] determined and the nature of traits is often subtle and nonlinear, their overall importance should not be doubted.

Thus he concludes that

….despite the demise of pure trait-based leadership theories because they are insufficient to correctly predict behavior or success without reference to context, they are enormously important nonetheless.  When followers judge leaders, they tend to do so more on traits than behaviors….traits are clearly powerful predictors of success or failure in very general terms”

While situations differ and not all Leaders are alike, and there is no ideal Leader, successful Leaders seem to share some traits—or Lear’s “attributes”, Keegan’s “commonality” or Marino’s “common characteristics”.  The possession of those certain—to borrow Kirkpatrick and Locke’s term—“core traits” is necessary for Leadership, but not sufficient for Leadership.

For an extended discussion of trait theory, go here____

But what are they?

Identifying the Core Traits

If one wants to identify those traits in a person that are most important for inducing others to trust them and follow to accept change and improve to achieve goals which are the right thing to do, it would seem useful to ask, first of all, people who have been followers. And, so, each student, both military and civilian, taking this course for the past several years has had the opportunity to list those personal traits, qualities, characteristics, attributes or traits they desire in their Leaders. While the students have used a wide variety of words to describe the desired traits, when compiled and aggregated, the top scoring responses have been:

-Integrity  (including honesty, ethics, consistent, etc) = 86%

-Caring  (including compassion, empathy, concern, selfless support, encourages) = 51%

-Competence (including  intelligent, knowledge, expertise) = 51%

those 3 are the most statistically significant, having been included in over 50% of the responses. In addition, the next highest scoring have been:

-Inspiring  (including communicates, listens, enthusiastic, motivates) = 25%.

-Vision (including Insight, forethought) = 23%

Also strongly desired were:

-Fair, Loyal, Courage, Decisive.

Those top responses by students also compare well with those of others who have been asked.  For example, a Pew Research Center survey of June/July 2008 found that: "The  public ranks women equal or better than men in seven of eight leadership traits. Including honesty, intelligence, compassion and creativity."   In a more extensive effort, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, in the course of writing their book, The Leadership Challenge and building their renowned leadership training program of the same name, have spent 25 years asking people "What values, personal traits or characteristics do you look for in a leader?"  From the responses they have developed a list of "Characteristics of Admired Leaders".  They have sent that list to 75,000 managers, public sector administrators and business Leaders in the U.S. and abroad and asked them "To select the seven qualities that they most look for and admire in a leader, someone whose direction they would willingly follow."

A table in the 2002 edition of their book indicates that, throughout the entire effort, as published in the three editions of their book (1987, 1995, 2002) the top 4 values or characteristics have remained the same and stand out, by percentage of responses, as being, by far, the most important. They are:

         -Honest,

         -Competent

         -Forward Looking

         -Inspiring.

In the various editions of their books, Caring, a trait desired by intelligence professionals appeared together with Courage, a trait required by intelligence professionals, further down the list. If the percentage of responses for the two are added together, the combined trait of Courage/Caring would move up to fifth place on Kouzes and Posner's list. In addition, if the responses for Fair-minded and Loyal, traits also mentioned by intelligence professionals which appear further down on the list were added to Courage/Caring, the combined trait would move up to third on the list.  Thus, one combined trait : Courage, in its fullest sense,  meaning both physical Courage and the moral Courage to be Caring, Fair and Loyal to others would be among the most important traits on Kouzes and Posner's list.

Adding this combined trait of physical and moral Courage is appropriate for any list of traits required for the intelligence professional.  Courage, of course, can mean physical courage to risk one's life and limb.  Thus, because of the military activities, as well as the sometimes dangerous collection duties of military and civilian intelligence professionals, adding Courage to the list of traits that they require to be successful Leaders seems appropriate.  But, Courage can also mean the moral courage to risk one's position or career to do what is right professionally, such as standing behind one's unpopular analytical conclusions in spite of political pressure, or to do what is right bureaucratically, by remaining Loyal, being Fair and Caring for one's followers in times of organizational turmoil. 

Thus, for the purposes of discussion in this course, the five "core traits" of an intelligence Leader are those which appear most frequently on the responses of students and those which are most frequently mentioned in the many responses to the Kouzes and Posner research. 

The Core Traits

·  Integrity

·  Competence

·  Courage

·  Vision

·  Inspiring

These “core traits” are the sine qua non of Leadership: the traits without which you cannot be a Leader.  They are the traits that followers desire and look for in a Leader.  Without followers you cannot be a Leader, so without demonstrating these “core traits” you cannot be a Leader, at least not for long. 

To verify the military emphasis that Integrity, Competence and Courage are core traits required of military Leaders and see some of the others, go here____. 

-As you think about the absence of “Inspiring” consider what is the most inspiring thing that tactical Leaders carrying out the mission can do?  As you do, look at the lists again, notice “Courage” and “Selfless Service”.     

Note that all three of those statements use the word “trust” which, as already emphasized, is created as a result of the Leader's core traits of Integrity, Competence and Courage. To that they each add the other two core traits; Vision and Inspiring. Other authors who have also written on the need for “leading change”, specifically emphasize all five core traits.  To see their lists of required traits for “leading change”, go here_____.  Thus, the five core traits are emphasized as essential for Leadership today.

In summary, despite the different perspectives—military, intelligence, academic researchers, authors on leadership or the public—there is a strong consensus on the “core traits” required of a Leader. Integrity, Competence and Courage to generate trust and Vision and Inspiring to Lead change.  Check that consensus here here_____ 

While all of these traits may see fairly self-explanatory, it is worth thinking about each. This was emphasized by Lieutenant Colonel W. J. Harkin USMC when winning a prize in the Marine Corps' 2002 Hogaboom Leadership Writing Contest. He wrote:

A mere list of traits without a deep understanding will not insure success. It is essential that a leader comprehend the meaning of leadership and the traits and characteristics required of a successful leader.

Trust Requires Competence

The second core trait is Competence. Would you trust and, then, willingly follow someone who you didn't believe knew what they were doing or could do it?  Probably not.

Often, at the junior or direct leadership level of small organizations the Leader is expected to be, tries to be, and usually is, as competent as the other members of the organization in the specialty of the organization. Certainly, the successful junior intelligence Leader is often an expert in some aspect of the intelligence profession—a fine analyst or expert collector or highly skilled technician. But, as a Leader becomes more senior and the organization becomes larger, a Leader can’t be an expert in all the technical aspects of everything that goes on in the organization. Kouzes and Posner say that; “...competence does not necessarily refer to the leader’s technical abilities in the core technology of the business.”

This is what military thriller author Tom Clancy has said about the military Leaders he has known.

The ones who ascend to general's stars are thoughtful students of their profession, scholarly commentators on history and gifted observers of human psychology....

In other words, for a Leader, Competence means competence in the broad aspects of the profession. In business, this is often referred to as “knowledge of the industry.” as well as competence in dealing with people. Thus, Intelligence Community organizational Leaders must be thorough national security and intelligence professionals who understand people.

Their competence must include a good knowledge of world and military history.  But also intelligence and organizational history. You can’t Lead people or the organization into the future unless you know the successes and mistakes of the past. In several of his writings, Vice Admiral James Stockdale USN (Ret.) says that “The single most important foundation for any leader is a solid academic background in history.”  That background can also be gained by a wide-ranging and enjoyable personal reading program covering world and military history, biographies of Leaders and intelligence literature.

Competence for an intelligence professional also requires an understanding of current international affairs, strategy, and operational warfare.    In addition, intelligence Leaders must know how the National Security Community, Defense Department and the Intelligence Community function as organizations, how they interact, and they must be cognizant of the issues, including political issues, that affect the activities of those organizations. Only in that way will intelligence Leaders have the broad competence required to guide the intelligence functions of the Community and solve the management problems facing their organization.  Advanced education, community training courses and serious journals are the source of this knowledge.

But, as Clancy notes about generals, Leaders need to be competent in more than their profession. They have to be competent in understanding and dealing with people.  Kouzes and Posner say that “Expertise in leadership skills is another dimension of competence.”  No matter how erudite you are about the past, how knowledgeable you are in your technical specialty or how skillful at juggling the budget you may be, unless you can interact with the people of your organization in a way that will cause them to trust you and will inspire them to follow you, you will not be a successful Leader. Further, as emphasized in the previous topic, after learning about Leadership,  getting constant practice and on-the-job experience is what develops and demonstrates your competence for Leadership.  As Kouzes and Posner say; “Having a winning track record is the surest way to be considered competent.” 

A proven track record is established by the capacity for Leadership that a person has demonstrated previously, by practice and experience in staff work, in previous organizational positions requiring Leadership and by initiative. That is what the military evaluation system, the command selection process and a good civilian promotion system look for before they place someone in a senior leadership position. That is also what followers look for before they put their trust in a new boss. It is called service or professional reputation. You are acquiring one every day—good or bad—whether you know it or not.

Trust Requires Courage

The third trait required to gain the trust of followers is Courage. Certainly in the military and in certain intelligence collection assignments, that means physical courage.  But it can also mean moral courage. Would you trust and follow someone who you did not believe had the courage to do what was right in stressful circumstances?  Probably not.

We understand that physical courage means a willingness to take risks and set the example by being out in front when the fighting starts. Moral courage is the same thing  The willingness to take risks, to get out in front and set the example by doing the right thing, even at the cost of your personal career and future, even when it may seem initially to reflect poorly on the organization, be against the desires of seniors or be politically incorrect.  Leaders must have the courage to take sensible risks and, above all, to permit their followers to take sensible risks, either of which, if they fail to produce results, could affect the reputation and career of the Leader.

That form of courage is especially important for Intelligence Leaders who must take the risk to represent the organization and be the “messenger who gets shot” or be considered “a non-team-player” when they deliver accurate and objective intelligence which may be “bad news” to policymakers and decisionmakers in stressing times such as crisis situations. Indeed, that form of courage is important for all Intelligence professionals who must stand by the intelligence they believe to be accurate and objective even when feeling pressure to change it.

This need for moral courage in defending one’s intelligence reporting has shown to be especially important in past national security crises. Find some examples here_____.

But, moral courage is also important for all Leaders, especially when organizations are going through periods of change, such as reorganization or downsizing or even mergers and consolidations.  At such times, employees are worried about what is going to happen to them. At other times, when an employee is under bureaucratic pressure or having problems at work, they look to their Leader for protection and help. In either case, having the moral courage to stand up for the well-being of your followers despite the cost to your own personal reputation or job prospects is important during such unsettling times and a critical attribute of Leadership. That kind of courage correlates well with Caring, Fairness and Loyalty that students and others often put on their lists of desired traits or qualities in a Leader. The Armed Forces call this trait of having the moral courage to put representing the organization or standing up for its people above personal considerations, "Selfless Service" or "Selflessness".

Probably the embodiment of all the aspects of true courage was Ernest Shackleton.  After leading his crew during the 10 months while their ship was locked in ice, he led them for another 4 months as they drifted on open ice and in boats until reaching safety on Elephant Island.  He then set out in a whaleboat with five volunteers and, after rowing 800 miles across the stormy Antarctic Ocean and marching 36 hours through the mountains of South Georgia Island, reached a whaling station where he was able to take a ship back to rescue the rest of the crew.  Not a man was lost.

Certainly, Shackleton displayed physical courage.  But more importantly he had the moral courage to be selfless, as the Captain of his ship Endurance said: 

Behind his every calculated word and gesture lay the single-minded determination to do what was best for his men.

Ernest Shackleton himself believed that “Optimism is true moral courage” and he acted on that belief.  One of his subordinates wrote in his diary at the time that “He is one of the greatest optimists living....”

According to General Colin Powell, “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.”  That is because optimism on the part of the Leader keeps the courage of followers high.

This seems to be the case, even in the more bureaucratic world today.  Business journalist Del Jones has written of the importance of optimism for Leaders.  He pointed out that:

The best leaders have certain qualities in common.  First there is an almost uncanny ability to see the big picture and make decisions with limited information.  Then there is that rare combination of caring and charisma that makes others willing to take a bullet for them.  But it is increasingly apparent that the quality most common to those at the top is their tendency to see everything through rose-colored glasses.  Leaders, it seems are more optimistic than the rest of us curmudgeons.  Survey after survey indicates this:…Optimism puts rose-colored tint in glasses of top execs.

He quoted Warren Bennis as saying in 1993 that “No matter how daunting or improbable the task, [Leaders] always seemed to give people that Pygmalion lift, that sense that they could do it.”  And he says that today Bennis is even more convinced, saying “Optimism is all about possibilities, change, hope.  Without those qualities, how can any leader succeed?” Jones also quoted Marcus Buckingham as saying, “The opposite of a leader isn’t a follower, the opposite of a leader is a pessimist.” 

Displaying optimism is a form of courage for several reasons.  First of all, the circumstances may be such that optimism is not warranted.  Also, not all people are naturally optimistic, “Optimism it seems is in the genes.”  Nevertheless, to inspire others to follow requires that a Leader have the courage to display optimism regardless of the circumstances and the Leader’s own nature.

The Leader’s Vision

For an aspiring Leader, having Vision does not require having some magical powers to predict the future.  As one CEO has said;

I can't pretend to know what it is...it is not some divine vision...perhaps it is a combination of your background...your instincts...your dreams.

As John Kotter says:

Most discussions of vision have a tendency to degenerate into the mystical….but developing good…direction isn’t magic.  It is a tough exhausting process of gathering and analyzing information.  People who articulate such visions aren’t magicians but broad-based strategic thinkers who are willing to take risks. 

The Leader’s Vision arises from the Leader’s own professional career experience. All intelligence professionals, over the years of serving in an area of expertise and an organization will see things that they believe are being done incorrectly and should be fixed, changed or improved. Hopefully, they will also see Leaders who they admire and things being done correctly. Based on those observations they will probably develop some ideas about; “What I would do if I had the chance.” 

Jack Welch in discussing how he developed new Leaders for GE said: “I've gone to Crotonville [New York, GE training site] every two weeks for 15 years to interact with new employees, middle managers and senior managers....[and asked them] ‘If you were named CEO of GE tomorrow, what would you do?’”

As Peter Senge says:

Vision is the answer to the question; "What do I really want? What do I want to be a part of creating?”

By being aware that such a process of learning by observation and experience will occur naturally during the course of a career and by taking the opportunity to exploit it as a priority effort, any intelligence professional can develop into a Leader with Vision.  Over the years of a career, by getting training, taking rotational tours and by careful observation, intelligence professionals can develop an understanding of the intelligence profession, the organization in which they work and the Community, as well as the broad range of professional capabilities required within the organization and the Community.  By assuring their assignment to both specialist and management positions, they can come to understand the pace and shape of the evolving environment—both external and internal—in which the organization and Community must operate.  By recording and giving thoughtful study to what they are observing, experiencing and learning over the years, they will almost naturally develop some well-conceived views about what can be done to improve the profession, adapt to changes in the external or internal environment or make their organization or the Community work better in the future.

That desire and those well-thought-out ideas about how to improve on the status quo are, very simply, the Leader’s personal-professional Vision.

This is the type of Vision that Peter Senge describes.

Personal mastery is the real vision. The leader who has real vision is the one who approaches life as creative work, has an encompassing philosophy that is based on competence, direction and focus and is involved in continuous learning. This vision is more of a calling than an idea. These visions are grounded in reality but always seeking opportunity to implement the vision and bring about change. They must be fostered to be a leader.

Recall earlier, that the military lists of the required “core traits” don’t usually include “Vision”.  Regardless of why you think that omission occurs, according to the military thinker and prolific author, Navy Vice Admiral James Stavridis, fostering  Leaders with the “open mind” required for the development of Vision and to bring about change can be the “greatest challenge of all” for a military organization.  He recommends that:

...our finest youngest officers, just as they are completing their apprenticeship years, around the five-year point of service...be sent outside the military to work in industry that is enmeshed in change....During this “year out”, they should be encouraged to focus on embracing change, seeing solution sets in entirely different ways, and overcoming the tightening of the mind that so often accompanies development of a junior officer.

This approach might be especially useful for military intelligence officers who will eventually find themselves as senior Leaders of the largely non-military and complex multi-faceted agencies of the Intelligence Community which, in many ways, resemble the organizations and corporations of the business world and face many of the same issues and problems. It will give them the opportunity for the experience and study that can begin the development of their personal-professional Vision.

For another suggested approach to developing your own personal-professional Vision, go here and read the introduction and then scroll down or use the index to find "Undertake Continuous Learning to Develop Competency  and Vision" ____.

If you want to compare the foregoing recommendations for implementing change with the manner in which the Commandant of the Coast Guard implemented a major organizational change effort, go here____.

Sustaining A Vision for an Organization

With the creation and statement of A Vision for the organization, the Leader’s work is only beginning.  A Vision needs to be sustained while it is being planned, implemented and achieved.  This emphasis on sustaining A Vision is especially important to military and government Leaders. They may only have a 2-3 year tour to Lead an organization. It is not always possible to start, complete and institutionalize important change in that relatively short period of time.

No matter how well-conceived and developed A Vision is, a Leader must continue to make it a priority and talk about it every day.  Jack Welch who brought profound and continuing change to GE has been quoted as saying “You have to relentlessly communicate change from the top....” When Ken Blanchard asked Max DuPree what his job was as CEO of the Howard Miller Co., DuPree responded,  “I basically work in the vision area.....I’m like a third grade teacher, I say our vision and values over and over, and over again until people get it right, right, right.”

John Kotter, when discussing “Leading Change” provided “Eight Steps to Transforming Your Organization”.  After “Creating A Vision”, the next step is “Communicating the Vision”.  He says that a common error in this step is “Undercommunicating the Vision by a Factor of Ten”.   In fact Jack Welch says you must “overcommunicate”.  Thus, the Leader and members of the Leadership team must continue the communication activities that they began to develop a shared vision; describing its goals, the future it will create, how inputs of the people of the organization have been included and, above all, listening to and addressing their continuing concerns that arise along the way.

Not only talk, but action is required on the part of the Leader.  To sustain A Vision the Leader must Lead the development of a strategic plan by the lower-level Leaders and managers of the organization.

Jim Collins emphasizes that there is a big difference between having A Vision and successfully sustaining A Vision to become a visionary organization.  The difference lies in creating a strategy to preserve the core values, to reinforce the purpose for which the organization exists—i.e., the mission—but to progress towards the aspirations. A Vision is, of course, a statement of what the organization aspires to be in the future backed up with a set of goals.  But, if A Vision is to be achieved, those goals must be used to provide the basis for planning—both strategic and short term—and to guide the day-to-day work of the organization.  As Yale Professor Paul Bracken has advised the military:

The problem is no longer getting people to embrace the need for change, but rather a more complicated one of managing change….A management plan—not just a vision—is needed for real transformation to succeed.

Thus, the post-vision strategic plan must start with a restatement of the vision—i.e., the ends which the plan is meant to achieve. Then it must list a set of goals for each aspect of the vision—i.e., the means by which the ends will be achieved.  Then, for each of the envisioned goals, it must assign responsibility to the various elements of the organization for the planning and completion of actions for fulfilling those goals and establish timelines and a schedule for doing so—i.e. establish the ways of the plan will be implemented.  

But, once such a strategic plan is in place, Leadership is still required. Martin and Shell point out that:

…things don’t always go as expected and modifications must be made on the fly. So people must be given chance to make them, After a period when change has proved to involve more work, harder work, hasn’t provided all the benefits intended, etc., people may long for the old way and not give the new way their all.

 Thus, according to Kotter the next steps involve:

-“Empowering Others to Act on the Vision” by  “removing obstacles to the new Vision”

-“Planning for and Creating Short Term Wins” and “systematically” doing so.

 -“Consolidating Improvements”  and not “declaring victory too soon”

-“Institutionalizing New Approaches” by “anchoring the changes in the organizations culture”

So, even as a visionary Leader, you will still have a continuing role in the management of the organization.  The extent and requirements of that role are described in the final topic “Leadership in Management”.

Leading Change Requires Inspiring People

The word “inspiring” has its roots in the Latin “to breathe life into”.  And that is just what a Leader must do to the people of the organization when Leading change.  Jack Welch is quoted as saying; “Good leaders….articulate the vision passionately....” Montgomery Van Wart says that “It has been empirically asserted that although great leaders do not need to possess charisma, they do need the ability to express a coherent and compelling vision.” Recall, Bennis said the Leader must articulate a vision clearly, compellingly and simply.  Collins called for a vivid description. 

Terry Pearce, a consultant and author on leadership communication, adds that:

Leading is not just a matter of knowing what to do—that is the job of the strategist—it is a matter of knowing and communicating why we are doing it.... Inspiration comes from spirit, depth....Leadership communication connects with the mind—it is logical and strategic—but it also connects with the heart by being personal and meaningful....What is absent in today's brand of leadership is not information or change, or knowledge—it is inspiration. Inspiration gives knowledge an application and change its meaning. We long for leadership because we are rarely inspired, and we miss it terribly.

Although some may question his qualifications to speak on Leadership, former President Richard Nixon said much the same thing when he wrote; “...people are persuaded by reason, but moved by emotion; [the Leader] must both persuade and move them.”  More recently, former Vice President Al Gore has come to acknowledge that, in his efforts to cause people to act to slow climate change

 “…emotion, not just reason, drives decisions people make.  His sentence [in his book Choices] is this: “Simply laying out the facts won’t work”.

Thus, when speaking about A Vision and the continuing change required to sustain it, the Leader work to be the most outstanding communicator possible, employing rhetoric, logic and emotion.

But, there are several other ways to communicate inspiration.  First of all, when Leading under any circumstances, a positive attitude and evident enthusiasm are paramount.  They are probably the most inspirational or motivational contributions that a Leader can make. Psychologist Daniel Goleman and his associates point out that:

…the leader’s mood is quite literally contagious, spreading quickly and inexorably throughout the organization….

A leader needs to make sure that not only is he regularly in an optimistic, authentic, high energy mood, but also that, through his chosen actions, his followers feel and act that way too.

Indeed, Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatis, drawing on the work of neuro-scientists and their own research and consulting say that “Followers Mirror Their Leaders—Literally”.  Thus, to inspire the members of the organization to develop, accept and implement change, Leaders must act as if it were the most important thing on the current agenda, show commitment to achieving it, and demonstrate enthusiasm about achieving it. That, approach will be contagious and the followers will be enticed to approach the effort in the same way.  

As consultants and popular authors Tom Peters and Nancy Austin write; “...leadership is a symbolic behavior and is shockingly powerful because people pay attention to leaders and what they are doing and saying.”  Likewise, Professors Michael Z. Hackman and Craig E. Johnson state:

Leaders also engage in impression management....People in organizations carefully watch the behavior of the leader for information about his character and for clues about organizational values, priorities and future direction...When leaders perform, they play to packed houses.

Nye agrees that all three types of communication are important.  He calls for a Leader to use not only  “oratory and inspirational rhetoric” but also “non-verbal signals” such as “symbols and example”.

But, no amount of  “hype” and stage-managing will inspire people if they believe that their hard work, and contributions to implementing A Vision and sustaining change are being ignored. As made clear in the definition; Leadership is about people.  How can you inspire people to support and sustain a vision, or any change, or even make a dedicated effort to meet the challenges facing the organization if you do not know them, if you do not relate to them on a personal level, if you don not know what they do for the organization, and if you do not know their needs and wants for improving their efforts.  So, there is probably nothing more inspiring for people working under any circumstance than for them to realize that the Leader knows who they are, knows what they are doing, thinks it is well done and valuable. The most inspiring words that you can use as a Leader are the person’s name followed by “great job” and “thanks”.    

As former DCI George Tenet wrote about his actions when bringing A Vision to the CIA (see above)

The obligation of leaders is to listen to and care for all their people, and not just those in the most skilled of occupations….at CIA, if men and women believed that you cared about them and their families, there was nothing they would not do for you.

Throw your arms around an employee, ask him about his family, send someone a note about an ailing mom, walk around and talk to real people doing their great work, make them all feel that they are part of something special—from the kitchen staff to the cleaning crew to the crusty seasoned operations officer you share a cigar with on the office balcony at the end of the day.  Show them that you care—and when you have to kick them in the butt, they will understand that it is not personal, but rather about doing the right job for the country.

Summary and Conclusion

In summary then, there are five core traits or personal qualities that are critical to successful Leadership today.
-To Gain the Trust of followers: Integrity, Competence, Courage  Display these and you will be a trusted Leader.
-To Lead Change: Vision, Inspiring. Add these and you will be an effective Leader.

Demonstrate the first three and you will be selected as a Leader.  As President Thomas Jefferson said when asked why he selected Merriweather Lewis to lead the Lewis and Clark Expedition:

Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction, careful of those committed to his charge, yet steady in maintaining good order and discipline….Honest, disinterested, liberal, a sound understanding, and a fidelity to truth.  I could have no hesitancy in confiding the expedition to him.

It is when you put all five of these together you that will become what Kouzes and Posner call a “credible leader.”  James MacGregor Burns seemingly relies on Kouzes and Posner when, writing on political and presidential Leadership:

Americans, a recent study has shown, want leaders who are forward looking—steering a definite course, alert to where they are headed.  They look to leaders for inspiration, and of course the competence required to pursue their aims effectively.  More than anything else—and significantly—Americans want honesty in their leaders.  They want leaders to make clear where they stand.  They want them to speak the truth.  They want them to keep their promises.  They want leaders who are worthy of their trust.

Such an eminent scholar, teacher and writer on Leadership citing them lends strong credence to the view that those traits are the core traits required by any Leader.  

On the other hand, if you don’t have those five, you might be what Barbara Kellerman describes as a “bad leader—”i.e., “incompetent” (no Competence), “rigid” (inability to create or accept Vision), “intemperate” (certainly not Inspiring), “callous” (lack of the Courage to be Caring), “corrupt” (failure of Integrity), “insular” (prevents being Inspiring or Caring), “evil” (total lack of Integrity).

Many others have highlighted and summarized the core traits.  But, the development of this course has been inspired by two individuals who have done that with insight and eloquence.  To see their summaries, go here_____. 

NOTE: For the references to this topic text use the link below,