The Three Traits of the Best Leader I Ever Had. What About You?

A couple of weeks ago, while I was presenting to a group of senior leaders about my leadership journey, and leader loneliness and adversity, I was asked what made my best leader ever the best. Note...there have been 17 of them officially...so there are plenty to choose from.

 Now I hadn’t really thought about it in those terms, and definitely hadn’t thought about it specifically enough to answer on the spot. Or so I thought. In a matter of seconds they flew out of my mouth, as if I had thought about it for days.

Vision. Although I don’t think you have to be visionary to be a great leader, in this case it was definitely a strength and necessary. My leader always seemed to be 2, 3, 4 years ahead of everyone else. He saw what was coming and the impending impact, the opportunities and the challenges. And he helped prepare us and the organization for it.

He trusted us to do our job. He never once told me HOW to do my job. He was there if I needed advice. There if I needed help in removing obstacles. But his way didn’t have to be my way. That was unique. Many leaders say that, but act differently.

He always had our backs. I mean always. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t sit down one-on-one with you if something went wrong, mistakes were made, situations handled poorly. But never, not once, did I see him throw his team members under-the-bus. And in an organization the size we were in, where too many times risks were not rewarded and someone was always looking for who made the mistake, well, this approach was refreshing and freeing. Ultimately this was his greatest gift to us, as it took unwavering courage and at times the willingness to face the fire for us.

Does your leader have the courage to do that? Do you? What are the strengths of your favorite leader? Please leave your comments below.

Hi, I’m Dave Lucas. I am passionate about people-first leadership and marketing. My experience includes 20+ years in marketing leadership positions at Caterpillar Inc., many as the Global Digital Marketing Manager, and 10+ years in leadership positions at various marketing agencies. I am now the owner of Lucas Partnering, which focuses on companies looking to leverage my experience to advance their marketing efforts to the next level. You can reach me at davidlucas@lucaspartnering.com.

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