THE BASIC QUALITIES OF EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS

This is the best time to be alive in human history. It’s the golden age; there has never been a time with more possibilities as this, yet at the same time we live in considerably had times with accelerated change, overwhelming complexity and tremendous competition. Such times call for a unique brand of leaders capable of leading in such unprecedented times. Leadership is not about being in a top position, and neither is it the number of years one has spent in the organization. Whether you're a leader of a large organization or you're just looking forward to becoming a leader, developing the necessary qualities is absolutely essential to your success. The true leader is one who inspires and helps others become their best selves, building their skills and achieving goals along the way. I don’t believe leadership is something you’re born with or without, I believe it’s something that each one of us can learn and develop over time. I’m not sharing this with you to say that I have all the answers and that I’m exceptional, but I have spent a big chunk of my time on earth studying the greatest leaders of the world.

Here are the ten things that make great leaders exceptional;

1. They lead with humility. Sounds elementary, right? Deride not the power of this facet because of its simplicity, truth is always simple. Humility remains a great virtue for all great leaders. In this world of overwhelming complexity where everyone is competing, no one wants to deal with crooks unless he’s one of them of course. It’s okay to be an egomaniac in your early years but as you advance, no one will want to deal with you. In his book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins an American researcher found humility as one of the two major traits of CEOs of companies that transition from average to superior market performance. As a leader, you must always present yourself with humility so that the people around you can help you once you stumble. True humility grows from the inside out and it begins with the willingness to be honest with one self. Humility will get you a few great relationships even without you saying a word. People will trust and deal with you as a leader because of your authenticity, total transparency and above all your humility. To Nelson Mandela, humility, honesty, sincerity, simplicity, pure generosity, absence of vanity and readiness to serve others are the foundations of any leader’s greatness.

2. Clarity of Purpose. Great leaders know from the start what end result they want and communicate it adequately all through the organization from time to time. They are clear about their performance expectations and communicate the same expectations to all their colleagues just to ensure everyone in the organization knows how their decisions align with the organization's vision, goals, targets and ethics. Simply put, all exceptional leaders are clear about their “what”, their “how” and their “why” and do everything there’s to pass this information down to the people they lead. All great leaders know the power of continuously, pursuing their purpose, even if all the specifics of how to achieve it aren't yet available. Because great leaders are great communicators, they use their insight and skill to create an environment of shared purpose within their organizations.

3. Great leaders know that they don’t know it all and don’t need to know it all but keep learning anyway. This is very important for anyone who aspires to become an exceptional leader. To great leaders, admitting that they don’t know something or that they are wrong doesn’t take away anything away from them. Being able to see, acknowledge and admit that they don’t know, or that they are wrong actually enhances their power and makes them more credible as leaders. Great leaders ask, not because they are weak but because they want to stay strong. Because of this facet, great leaders are ardent readers and they are consistently curious, they are never satisfied with the answers available and consider mistakes to be part of the process.

4. Great leaders commit to their vision yet stay flexible in their approach/strategy. In these unprecedented times, what worked yesterday might not be the answer to today’s problems, because truth is constantly changing. Why stick to a single strategy? Why try to go through the wall when if you just looked a few feet on your left, you would find an open door? To exceptional leaders, the ultimate vision is such an important milestone that needs the leader’s utmost commitment, but the way to achieve the vision doesn’t have to be a straight line. All great leaders are relentlessly creative and innovative, challenging themselves every day to find a better way of doing things. We are now in the fourth Industrial Revolution, navigating the next economic frontier. This is truly the most exciting time to be alive but only the flexible minds will survive. In the face of numerous business complexities of modern times, no one will know what the right answers are all the time – so, the most important skill every leader can practice is to be flexible. In all, be flexible.

5. Great leaders build their success around great teams. A great vision without great people is useless to the leader. Because exceptional leaders know that they can’t have the answers to all business problems, they build great teams around which business success revolves. As a way of building high performing teams, great leaders create an environment that enhances psychological safety, giving everyone confidence to speak up irrespective of their role, position or title. A research by Google researchers on 180 server teams concluded that high performing server teams had two things in common; 1. High average social sensitivity and 2. Equality in conversation turn taking. The exceptional leaders of this world know that if talent wins games, team work and cooperation wins championships.

6. The hunger factor. To great leaders, wanting success is not enough, they hunger for it. The great leaders know that their motivation for success must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come their way. Great leaders neither wish nor hope, they have a keen insatiable desire and hunger to achieve, and know that the single most important key to success is not talent, intelligence or skill, but the hunger to make it happen no matter the circumstances. This type of hunger creates an inner drive in a leader that determines their actions. Wherever they are, whatever they have, however much the profitability of the organization is, however big the size of the revenue, they know they can make it better. They are relentless, they are consistent, and keep going until the road closes on them. Great leaders are rarely "realistic." They are intelligent, but they are not realistic by other people's standards.

7. Great leaders have a strong belief in themselves, in their people, in their products and services, and in their companies. Now, having all the above skills without this kind of belief is worthless. I’m reminded of Thomas Coley who once noted that, “Belief encompasses a multitude of success characteristics: fortitude, persistence, mental stamina, grit, sticking it out during tough times, confidence, belief, conviction, hope, certainty, courage, tenacity, fearlessness, boldness, resoluteness, guts, intestinal fortitude, determination, resolve, will, willpower and toughness.” The great leader’s motivation is based on expectation and is never motivated without a belief that he will achieve. Because great leaders are great communicators, they use their skill and insight to inspire those they lead, and consequently pass on the same amount of belief they have to their followers.

8. Emotional Mastery. Great leaders are clear about their innate values, beliefs, and rules and see things as they are and not worse than they are even in times of crisis; they not only know how to manage their own emotions but also know how to manage the emotions of those around them. Those who know their values and live by them become the great leaders. Unlike many folks, great leaders never leave themselves at the mercy of outside events over which they have no control; instead they take charge of their emotions to which they have control. Even in the midst of chaos and crisis, they stay in control and use every experience as an opportunity to learn; they never blame anything or anyone for their own flaws but instead take responsibility. Exceptional leaders use their emotions as a powerful tool in helping them achieve their highest potential. Besides emotions, great leaders are clear about their most empowering values, beliefs and rules and use their skill to transfer the same values and beliefs to their followers. The Japanese leaders have mastered the art and skill of passing on to each generation their core belief, “Kaizen” which is a never ending commitment to increasing the quality of their business. Great leaders are those individuals who live by empowering beliefs and teach others they lead to tap their full capabilities by shifting the beliefs that have been limiting them.

9. Hunters of excellence. Exceptional leaders model the quality of lives of those people who are already succeeding. All the great leaders you can ever think of are hunters of excellence, constantly seeking out the leading men and women in their culture to discover their beliefs, values, and strategies for achieving success. We live in the most exciting generation where we can find role models all around us and the great leaders take advantage of this. Why invent the wheel when all the answers you are seeking are just around you? In whatever they want to accomplish, great leaders look around for people who are already doing it or who have already been there and make use of their experiences. If they can’t develop relationships with those people physically, they make it a habit to read intensively, and by reading the leader can learn from the experiences of other leaders that came before him.

10. Time mastery. Great Leaders value time, and I know this sounds very elementary but Winston Churchill was absolutely right, “truth is incontrovertible, malice my attack it, ignorance may deride it, but at the end there it is!” If you are an aspiring leader, deride the value of time mastery at your own will. No single leader can ever become exceptional without this vital skill. As an aspiring leader, what you are thus far and what you’ll eventually become is dependent on how you use your time. One of the most important uses of an exceptional leader’s time is to engage in activities that increase their value as leaders, and also the value of their organizations. To a great leader, every minute of the 24 hours in a day is vital, he understands that time is not a disposable and can never be regained once lost.

Robert Kulubya is Uganda’s premier Corporate Trainer in the facets of leadership, team building and personal growth. As a catalyst for change and a strategist for success, Robert has devoted his life to building people and transforming lives everywhere through creating and offering an array of diverse programs that awaken the greatness in everyone. Subscribe below to become a member of the Robert Kulubya Family.