February 2017

We've debated for years the age old chestnut, whether leaders are born or if they can be created. There's no doubt that many of the skills and competencies of leadership can be learned but I'm equally sure that great leaders are born with certain attributes that give them that potential. So what makes the difference? There are different styles of leadership and none are exclusively successful. I've been thinking recently about some great leaders that I've known over the years and what it was that made them special. Here's a few...

Whatever role you're trying to fill at any level in your organization, hire for attitude. If you have the choice of a slightly better qualified, or a more experienced candidate, take the one with great attitude every time. Work on your selection process to make sure it gives good attitude a chance to shine, that will make up for the extra qualification a hundred time over. I sometimes fear that we've sanitized recruitment so much with psychometric testing and profiling that we've lost a bit of the good old chemistry...