Executive Leadership Skills - Leadership Quotes

Are leaders born or made? Most people would say both – part nature, part nurture. Great leaders have innate qualities of integrity, humility, fairness, vision, and determination. And they have the training and experience to lead with greatness.

There are many well known exceptional leaders in all fields of endeavor. There are also some great ones who aren’t well known outside their own communities. I asked a number of such people what makes a good leader. Here are the remaining answers in the last of three articles on leadership.

Todd Korahais, CEO of Keller-Williams Realty in Greenville, SC, believes, “There are great managers who devise and implement systems that people imitate, but that’s not leadership. The final definition of leadership is Legacy. If the leader never eyes, grooms, and develops his/her replacement(s), they never lead. They were simply imitated.”

Judy Suiter, President of Competitive Edge, Inc. in Atlanta, GA, says, “The most important qualities of good leaders are: They tell the truth. They show respect for all people inside and outside their organization. They have an accurate perception of their own style and how their style impacts others. They have a clear understanding of their own values and practice ‘walking their talk.’ They have the ability to get others to want to follow them. They put the needs of the organization above their own.”

Sandy Vilas, CEO of CoachInc, writes, “A leader listens to his team and always encourages input. A leader is a visionary who can take the business to new heights while keeping the team excited and motivated. A leader is not afraid to make and implement tough decisions. A leader works hard at catching people doing things right and acknowledges them appropriately.”

John Walton, Director of Safety and Compliance for Averitt Express, Inc. believes, “My goal has always been to lead my associates in a manner I would want my leader to be and that leadership style begins with having a clear vision, being a good listener, asking questions, identifying clear pinpoints, objectives and measurements for every team member. Secondly, as a leader you must know the strengths and weaknesses of each associate and make sure to position them in a manner they will succeed in completing their tasks. Be bold enough to take responsibility for failures and be quick to share the credit with the team. Good leaders surround themselves with quality people and it is critical to empower each to use their natural abilities to be the best they can be and continue to improve. It is imperative as a leader to set a positive example, be willing to do the little things, be confident in your role and instill discipline in the team. It is my desire to know when and how to lead and on the flip side, when and how to follow!”

John Warner, Vice President of Strategy and Communication for KEMET Corporation, says, “The best leaders I have known are builders. They have a passionate vision for what they want to create, and they are very focused on getting there, sometimes to the point of being seen as myopic. They have empathy for the people around them, at least in terms of getting people to buy into helping them achieve their vision. People around great leaders usually do not see as clearly where the organization is going, either because they had not done the same intense homework to understand the landscape or because they do not have the God-given talent to see a future that does not yet exist. Great leaders attract people to them, not because people necessarily agree with where the leader is going, but because they believe the leader is going somewhere important and they want to go along to what they believe will be a better place.”

Jane Yousey, a Life Coach from Connecticut who teaches a graduate leadership course at the University of Indianapolis, is clear and to the point. She says, “The sign of a mature leader is the self-awareness that there is MUCH more still to learn and master.”

Future leaders of the world, take note. These are some of the qualities possessed by the world’s greatest leaders.