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In Search Of Great Leadership – Wisdom Discovered

5. When faced with two equally-qualified candidates, how do you determine whom to hire?

  • If by “qualifications” we mean equal in terms of education, type and length of experience, and other seemingly “objective” measures than choose the one that will provide a diversity of thought. It’s tempting to say that we want to “hire for cultural fit” but that risks hiring people in our own image. Instead, hire the one that will shake up your thinking.
  • I look for passion. The candidate that can properly explain why they like their job and the feeling they get when they see others succeed will always get my vote. No matter what business you are in you are always in the “people business”. Those with passion AND compassion will usually do the best.
  • Gut instinct that is often based on intangibles like demonstrated excellence and commitment to something, even if it is unrelated to the job description.
  • Always go with your heart…it is there to guide us.
  • I have always chosen the one with higher, far more challenging goals supported by the corresponding element of passion. I must know their individual goals and what action plan they have in place to achieve it.
  • I am a great believer in the old adage, “Hire character, train skills”, so while you may encounter equal qualifications, you will always have the more important criterion, i.e. sound character, to guide you.
  • When faced with two equally qualified candidates I look at which candidate’s personality is the best fit for the department. I also consider attitude and enthusiasm. I can teach skill; I can’t change attitudes or teach internal motivation.
  • To break the tie I look at long term potential and the investment required to tap into that potential. To determine this I talk about my passions and ask the candidates to talk about their passions.
  • People hire people they like. People hire people they know they can work with and fit in with their team. Skills can be taught. I hire the person who will fit into the culture even if they have less experience.
  • This is a common issue and the I think the best defining factors would be the candidate’s soft skills…..are they a good team player, do they have effective communication skills, do they manage their time well, do they handle stress well, are they a self-starter, can they apply critical thinking to their problem-solving strategies. These skills are essential for a person to be valuable to any organization and are equally important as the professional or technical skills you may be seeking…..in other words, they need to be able to fit into the company culture. One other element…they need to be willing and able to adapt to change and embrace it as it certainly becomes the new norm in our world today. Questions and even short scenarios can be introduced into the interview process to determine these qualities.
  • It will really come down to how we interacted during the interview process. I will have to determine which candidate demonstrated that they would be a good fit for the position and for the team so that we quickly become a functioning group geared toward success.
  • Personality. Skills are not the only determining factor for a good employee. Their work style and personality have to fit with the existing organization. Any group needs a balance of personality types to really be efficient.
  • I have never seen two equally qualified candidates. No two people are the same, or have identical backgrounds, attitudes, or experiences. If one is faced with what seems to be equally qualified candidates then one of two conditions exist in my opinion. Either the list of needed or required experience and attributes is weak, or the interview process is flawed. In either case the process has not dug deep enough to find the core differences, and those are often what eventually cause failure in the new hire.
  • The one with more humility.

6. What is one characteristic that you believe every leader should possess?

  • Fortitude, which I define through words like patience, persistence, tolerance, and stamina. Leadership is not a sprint.
  • Humility. A leader doesn’t know it all, even if he/she thinks they do.
  • Integrity and the ability to acknowledge mistakes.
  • A positive, solution-oriented mindset.
  • Honesty; being truthful is a virtue that always stays the same!
  • Integrity.
  • Humility.
  • Every leader is a force multiplier and has the analytical fortitude to clearly articulate how they are this force multiplier.
  • Continuous learning. No one knows everything. We are all smart about certain things, but a good leader identifies and owns the fact that they don’t know everything which is why you hire good people.
  • Authenticity……you need to be open, honest and accountable.
  • I have had the privilege to coach many wonderful and successful leaders. The one characteristic that helps a leader become an exemplary leader is through developing their emotional intelligence. When a leader can strengthen areas that need development along with uncovering their blind spots, they lead with more awareness, are able to raise the emotional tone of the culture and can handle crisis and adversity with greater ease and clarity. Increased emotional intelligence gives them an edge to have an open mindset and think outside the box thus finding creative and innovative ideas to enhance their leadership capabilities.
  • Integrity – without this important leadership trait, nothing you do will matter because your team will not see you as trustworthy.
  • Humility. If you cannot learn from the people on your team, you cannot lead them.
  • Be true to yourself and your conscience. If you can go to bed every night saying, “I did my best today” then that is all anyone can expect of you. If you get up each morning with a determination to do your best it will get you through the day. Getting better will come with that effort. Those around you will follow your example. You will earn the respect of your reports and even more casual observers. That attitude will provide a major building block in the company culture. You will also sleep well.
  • Pure Values and Honor.

7. What is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?

  • How to balance the short-term needs (funding, stock price, revenue) with the long-term ones (sustainability, impact, legacy). This is particularly true for US public companies where the demand for quarterly results tends to push away all other thoughts.
  • Ego. Too many leaders believe their own hype and think leadership comes from the position/rank. Leadership comes from the ability to motivate others and carry on the same level of professionalism and quality when the leader is not present.
  • The pervasive insecurity caused by a world that, for many, is one they no longer understand, control, or feel secure in.
  • A lack of leadership training.
  • Although hard to pinpoint one specific challenge, I would say understanding the young adult generation poses one of the greatest challenges. It is a combination of their culture and work ethics, their mastery of technology leading to far-fetched expectations, their sense of independence across the board. They are the harbingers of a major paradigm shift and as such today’s leaders must understand them better to continue to lead.
  • The most serious challenge facing leaders today is the wider culture of the postmodern West – nihilistic, narcissistic, self-indulgent, promiscuous, trained but uneducated, entranced by trivia, childish, and as Solzhenitsyn pointed out, lacking in courage. And the cultural malaise afflicts not just employees, but many managers, politicians, professionals, and academics as well. In brief, this is the root cause of the global leadership crisis.
  • I think the biggest challenge facing leaders today is change. I’m talking about personal change. The way we have lead in the past is no longer effective. People want autonomy, they want a place at the table, and they want to be treated as equals. Here’s where the humility as a leader comes in. You can no longer lead from an ivory tower.
  • Many leaders are struggling with balancing the decisions they make based on their information and based on their gut. There must be balance.
  • Leadership skills. I think that there are a lot of “leaders” out there that don’t have the leadership skills necessary to be a true leader. This is evident by turnover, employee dissatisfaction, low customer retention.
  • Change and competition in a fast-moving world ….how can we stay ahead of the crowd and remain a successful and viable business?
  • There are just so few great leaders from whom we can learn. Every day we hear of politicians, business leaders, and other professionals committing crimes, exhibiting moral lapses, or just outright doing whatever they want because of their status. Therefore, today’s up and coming leaders believe this is the way all leaders should be and make “getting ahead at all costs” a way of life. We need good examples in the news who are successful because of the manner in which people grew under their leadership.
  • Individuality. We all live in more of a bubble than we used to, especially the younger generation. It is harder to find people who want to work for a common cause, like the benefit of the organization. Leaders have to show people where their goals intersect with the organizations goals and motivate them in that direction.
  • Out of touch with customers and front line employees
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Dennis Pitocco
Dennis Pitoccohttps://www.bizcatalyst360.com/
DENNIS is the Founder & Chief ReImaginator of 360° Nation, encompassing a wide range of multimedia enterprises, including BizCatalyst 360° —the award-winning global media digest; 360° Nation Studios —dedicated to reaching across the world in an effort to capture, produce, and deliver positive, uplifting messages via blockbuster global events, and; GoodWorks 360° —a pro-bono consulting foundation focused entirely on providing mission-critical advisory services to nonprofits worldwide. Collaborating with his Chief Inspiration Officer (and wife), Ali, everything they do is "for-good" vs. "for profit". Their mission over the past decade-plus has been to rediscover humanity at its best, influencing and showcasing it every step of the way. Together, they do their very best to figure out what the world is trying to be —then using all their resources to help it to be better every day in every way. They understand and embrace the notion that it’s not about me or you; it’s about caring for the people we serve and more responsibly stewarding the precious resources in our care. And they believe it’s about showing up, being present, and intentionally giving our invaluable gifts of time, talent, and treasure "for good". Dennis is a contributing author to these Best-Selling Books ♦ Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational ChangeJourney Well, You Are More Than EnoughThe Four-Fold Formula For All Things Wellness: True Stories of the Heart, Spirit, Mind, and Body Voices of Strength Win the Wellness W.A.R. We Are Responsible

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25 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Interesting article, as well as individual comments.
    I personally believe that a great leader is simply a leader who is “human.” This means that he should be nothing but who has the fears that have all, but deals with them; has the problems that have all, but manages them. Or at least test to do that and, precisely because he is human, manages to excite and involve. So, he do not have to fight the urge to be perfect but to simply be human, recognizing own vulnerability to experiences as the shame, judgment, reprimand, asking in order to learn. Admit his own limitations is the key to everything, is a sign of courage and ability to collaborate.
    Anyway, in general, between “head” in the strict sense and the figure of the leader there are infinite shades. True leadership comes from who you are, not only by what you say or do. You need to drive back to the people and not just focus on the tasks to be performed and on the tasks to manage. The best way to do this is to always act according to their own values, always leaving something “positive” when it comes into contact with others. Offer their time and expertise as well as a smile, a sincere advice, help, idea, or dream. If these small gestures will not automatically make you a leader, I am firmly convinced that it is the most effective way to begin to be.

  2. I’m in the process of putting together a leadership development checklist for post graduate students. I found that if you focus on how the history of leadership theories have developed over the last two hundred years, you get a really good idea of how to be a good leader. Just examining the changes in the assumptions is a real eye opener. It starts out as to be a leader you must be born as one. Then it ends with leaders are not born, they’re made. There is a heck of a lot of interesting things in between.

    • No doubt your checklist would be a great tool to share here, Chris. And indeed, the History of Leadership Theories is a great reference, when supplemented by genuine “wisdom of experience” as shared by so many remarkable professionals within this Article. Thanks for engaging!

  3. In a far away land many many years from now archeologist while exploring the ruins of an old city they will find this list. They will be excited that they have found an ancient book of knowledge. They will herald this as the greatest find in history. They will quote the great chairman Dennis and all his worldly scribes.

    • Wow! Your very thoughtful sentiment here is much appreciated, Larry. But all credit goes to the amazing collections of genuine thought leaders who invested the time to share their remarkable wisdom of experience!

  4. Congratulations, Dennis Sir, for this amazing initiative, not just for the Group Members but also all the Columnists and Featured Contributors to learn from each other!

    All the Very Best to All Involved!

    Thanks and Warm Regards
    BM

  5. Your concept in putting this together, Dennis, was in itself a stroke of genius and a practical example of great leadership. You are doing a great work not only for business leaders and their teams but also for society at large.

  6. Leaders inspire. Leaders are inspired. It’s not just the people in our lives or our personal experience that inspire us, it’s the stories too. We have a need to not only be part of the story, we want to reenact the story as well. How many leaders today were inspired by Shakespeare, tales of King Arthur, Superman, and even “The Reign of the Superman”?

    Though just stories, these stories inspire us to be great leaders by giving us a visual and sound bite of what a leader really is. One quote tattooed in my memory is

    Polonius:
    This above all: to thine own self be true,
    And it must follow, as the night the day,
    Thou canst not then be false to any man.

    Though in the play Hamlet, Polonius was a fool, he gave such insightful advice; that the value of advice is not determined by the source; and that cannot be honest with others until you’re first honest with yourself.

  7. Great accumulation of thoughts and opinions.

    I have always found it interesting that when you ask a great leader is he/she is such, invariably he says probably not. That is often followed by “I just try harder than the average bear”. I guess that confirms the humility comments. When one thinks they are great, effort to improve stops and decline begins.

    • Right on target Ken (as usual)… All things considered, a foundation of integrity balanced with a heavy dose of humility set’s the stage for greatness… Thank you for your remarkable input into this Article!

    • It was the unselfish sharing of “priceless” wisdom from you and your esteemed colleagues that not only made this a great Article but has provided a blueprint for those who aspire to become “Great Leaders…”

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