Friday – Independent Newspapers / Ten Marks of a Leader

1. Possesses the capacity to treasure what’s worth treasuring about the past of any church, business, school, or organization.

2. Embraces, loves the present, and is immersed in the day-to-day joy and struggle of the immediate.

3. Sees, does what is necessary to articulate and to usher in the future.

4. Possesses the capacity to listen without waiting to speak and without making premature judgments or decisions.

5. Possesses the ability to hold necessary tension within and so does not become a conduit of anxiety. 

6. Understands that self-leadership is the absolute cornerstone of all successful leadership.

7. Understands that there is a necessary loneliness that is inescapable for all effective leaders.

8. Appreciates that unresolved past issues will agitate current relationships especially when there is tension or conflict.

9. Knows that integrity is local and immediate and a lack of integrity or a compromise in values in any one relationship will compromise and impact all other relationships and slowly (or very quickly) erode credibility.

10. Treasures the understanding that leadership is a function, a role, and not a platform for power or status.