The Most Valuable Quality in a Leader

An recent poll asked the question, “What a quality do you value most in a leader?” The possible answers were:

  • Builds effective relationships
  • Delivers results
  • Energizes the team
  • Models personal excellence, integrity and accountability
  • Shapes the future

The results (from least to greatest) were:

  1. Shapes the future - 4%
  2. Delivers results - 8%
  3. Energizes the team - 14%
  4. Builds effective relationships - 23%
  5. Models personal excellence, integrity and accountability - 51%

What fascinates me about these results is that the things the leadership gurus push the most are the things that are the lowest on the list. But a majority view integrity as the most important. And building personal relationships also is significant.

That doesn’t mean we can say that the others aren’t important, but modeling personal excellence, integrity and accountability is just so important that most people favor it over all the others. Too often, we see leaders who want results, no matter what. Even if it costs them their integrity. Clearly, it is the opinion of those who took the poll that leaders like that have missed the boat.

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