#7 Leadership Superpowers

Seven leadership superpower traits I value most in leaders

Passionate; Inconceivable Tenacity; Hyper Strategist; Inspiring; Craftsmanship; Authentic; Scale Masters

Passionate

Leadership is a passionate (almost fanatical), inquisitive pursuit of a vision, of excellence, of perfection, of truth, of the impossible, of what’s next, of change, of value, of results, of knowledge, of experience, of learning, and of something bigger than yourself.

“We’re here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?” ~Steve Jobs.

Inconceivable Tenacity

Leadership is about tenacity, focus, resilience, determination, persistence, disciplined consistency of action, values, standards, methods and results over time with inconceivable internal-locus-of-control.

“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm” ~Sir Winston Churchill

Hyper Strategist

Leaders are hyper-vigilant (almost paranoid) in understanding, mapping and confronting their reality constantly. They have almost mystical ability to adapt, plan and pivot to seize opportunities, avoid obstacles and win the end-game.

“Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards… Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain” ~ Sun Tzu

Inspiring | X Factor

Leaders inspire others to move mountains when by all rights they shouldn’t believe they can and then do so… faster.

“High sentiments always win in the end. The leaders who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more out of their followers than those who offer safety and a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings are heroic.” ~George Orwell

Craftsmanship

Leaders are craftsmen, they create value by combining wisdom, science and art. They are highly analytical with attention to both the big picture and the tiniest details of their domain, and strive for excellence (“get the things done and then better”). They are super creative in hacking and reinventing solutions, experiences, and systems rejecting conventional wisdom, hype, and the madness of crowds.

“Faulkner is a writer who has had much to do with my soul, but Hemingway is the one who had the most to do with my craft — not simply for his books, but for his astounding knowledge of the aspect of craftsmanship in the science of writing” ~Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Authentic

Leaders are authentic, genuine, transparent, straightforward, trusted. They “walk the talk”. They don’t play games. What you see is *exactly* what you get.

“When you have to shoot, shoot; don’t talk… But if you miss, you had better miss very well. Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco. Nothing!” ~Tuco Benedicto Pacífico Juan María Ramírez (The Ugly :)

Scale Masters

Leaders with very rare recursion skill to lead, empower, delegate, grow, and mentor other leaders superheroes toward the same vision.

“I’ve been trying to control you since the day we met, and look where that’s got us. I have faith in you.” ~Charles Xavier

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Related Reading List

• Life is Like a Game. Here’s How You Master ANY Game @ http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2014/10/life-is-like-a-game-heres-how-you-master-any-game/
• Victims and Leaders @ http://www.feld.com/archives/2014/10/victims-leaders.html
• What’s The Most Difficult CEO Skill? Managing Your Own Psychology @ http://www.bhorowitz.com/what_s_the_most_difficult_ceo_skill_managing_your_own_psychology
• The 9 Essential Habits of Mentally Strong People @ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/18/the-9-essential-qualitie_n_4760403.html
• Peacetime CEO/Wartime CEO @ http://www.bhorowitz.com/peacetime_ceo_wartime_ceo
• Entrepreneur DNA @ http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/entrepreneur-dna/
• The Importance of Benevolent Dictators @ http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2013/03/09/the-importance-of-benevolent-dictators/
• The Best Entrepreneurs Are Hyper Competitive & Hate Losing @ http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/01/29/the-best-entrepreneurs-are-hyper-competitive-hate-losing/
• Domain Experience Gives Entrepreneurs an Unfair Advantage @ http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/02/07/domain-experience-gives-entrepreneurs-an-unfair-advantage/
• Four Leadership Lessons from Ender’s Game @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2013/09/16/four-leadership-lessons-from-enders-game/
• Leadership is about emotions @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/meghanbiro/2013/12/15/leadership-is-about-emotion/
  This One Leadership Quality Will Make or Break You @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2011/12/19/this-one-leadership-quality-will-make-or-break-you/
• Leadership Lessons from LEGO @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2013/09/24/leadership-lessons-from-lego/
• The First Job of a Leader is to Face Reality @ http://www.georgeambler.com/the-first-job-of-a-leader-is-to-face-reality/
• Breaking Your “Four Minute Mile” @ http://www.georgeambler.com/breaking-your-four-minute-mile/
• 11 Practices of Collaborative Leaders @ http://www.georgeambler.com/11-practices-of-collaborative-leaders/
• 10 Great TED Talks for Leaders @ http://www.georgeambler.com/10-great-ted-talks-for-leaders/
• 5 Personal Leadership Lessons from Benjamin Franklin @ http://www.georgeambler.com/5-personal-leadership-lessons-from-benjamin-franklin/
• How the Leadership Gurus Define Leadership @ http://www.georgeambler.com/defining-leadership/
• What Should You Look for in the People You Hire? @ http://michaelhyatt.com/what-should-you-look-for-in-the-people-you-hire.html
• Moneyball Hiring: The Interview @ http://devblog.moz.com/2014/11/moneyball-hiring-the-interview/
• Avoid the Second Mistake @ http://jamesclear.com/second-mistake
• Suffering and the Successful Entrepreneur @ http://www.inc.com/tim-askew/suffering-and-the-successful-entrepreneur.html
• The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship @ http://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jessica-bruder/psychological-price-of-entrepreneurship.html
• Entrepreneurial Life Shouldn’t Be This Way — Should It? @ http://www.inc.com/magazine/201307/brad-feld/many-entrepreneurs-deal-with-depression.html
• Engineering Minimum Viable Inspiration @ https://medium.com/@davemcclure/engineering-minimum-viable-inspiration-5e4a776aecdb
• 44 engineering management lessons @ http://www.defmacro.org/2014/10/03/engman.html
• 5 Characteristics of Weak Leaders (and How Not to Be One) @ http://michaelhyatt.com/5-characteristics-of-weak-leaders.html
• 3 Attributes that Will Help You be Better under Pressure @ http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2011/05/3_attributes_that_will_help_yo.html
• A Military Leader’s Approach to Dealing with Complexity @ https://hbr.org/2014/10/a-military-leaders-approach-to-dealing-with-complexity/
• The Best-Performing CEOs in the World @ https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-best-performing-ceos-in-the-world
• The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs @ https://hbr.org/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs/ar/1
• Three Leadership Skills that Count @ https://hbr.org/2011/10/three-leadership-skills-that-c
• Manifesto for Software Craftsmanship @ http://manifesto.softwarecraftsmanship.org/
• Management Clichés That Work @ http://blog.learningbyshipping.com/2014/10/23/management-cliches-that-work/
• Superhero 101: Eight secrets to delegating more effectively@ http://managerialmayhem.com/superhero-101-eight-secrets-to-delegating-more-effectively/
• 12 Most Explosive Leadership Lessons from Superhero Movies @ http://12most.com/2011/11/24/12-explosive-leadership-lessons-superhero-movies/
• Avengers Leaders http://marvel.com/news/comics/12651/take_10_avengers_leaders

Few more traits to consider

Visionary, Passionate , Authentic, Confident, Pragmatic, Straightforward, Professional, Caring, Proactive, Result oriented, Honest, Intelligent, Cooperative, Inspiring, Determined, Imaginative, Ambitious, Courageous, Mature, Loyal, Independent, Responsible, Confident, Enthusiastic, Decisiveness, Humility, Agile, Character, Initiative, Intuition, Positive Attitude, Persistent , Empathetic, Mentor, Goal oriented, Focused, Consisteness, Dedicated, Conscientiousness, Commitment, Trusting, Organized