2 Superpowers of Great Leaders

Want the best leadership team? Screen for these two things.

Photo by Craig McLachlan on Unsplash

One of my personal goals is to be a great leader — and as I start on my own entrepreneurial journey, being a great leader is more important than ever. I’ve had the opportunity to hold several leadership positions at work and in my personal life. I excelled in some of those positions and was able to move the organization, purpose, or project forward. But in some cases, I failed. Like many things in life, I learned much more about becoming a leader, coaching leaders, and hiring leaders when I failed than when things went well.

What makes a successful leader?

• Is it someone that’s been with the company and in their role for a long time?
• Is it someone who knows every technical aspect of their area or everything about their organization?
• Is it someone who can manage the feedback of other leaders or the board?
• Is every people manager a leader?

I can’t define a great leader by any of these things in isolation.

Rather, I see a successful leader as someone that can lead — that means that they can successfully take on the work of…