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The Essence of Leadership.

22/10/2014

We are often asked what is the difference between leadership and management and what makes up a good leader.
I came across this diagram below which we think absolutely nails what makes up the essential qualities of leadership.

Leadership definition

Often senior people get promoted into broader leadership roles based on their performance in their current role. Whilst performance is a great marker for business success it is not always a great indicator of leadership success. Intellectual ability or competence is one thing but there is just so much more than those attributes that will define leadership.

The smartest person does not always make the best leader. The ability to inspire others to follow, authenticity, humility, being straight and true and even showing the occasional vulnerability are all the ingredients that will define great leaders.

I have always said to my kids that it is not the quality of the education (the grades you get) but the quality of the person that measures success in your career. That comes by showing you can work in a team, show resilience, and balance and sometimes juggle multiple things in your life. In other words a rounded individual grounded in pragmatism and reality will always reach greater heights in their career than those with a single obsession and focus.

Leaders inspire others to reach their individual potential and encourage their teams to dig deep in challenging times...Managers manage things and inanimate issues.
What type of leader are you?

By Paul Bell

Whakatū | Nelson

Te Whanga-nui-a-Tara | Wellington

Ōtautahi | Christchurch

Waiharakeke | Blenheim

Better people make a better world
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