What should we expect from a leader?

They are increasingly aware of their weaknesses and put effort into working on them. They maintain poise when under pressure. They refuse to settle for mediocrity. They listen to learn, taking on board other peoples’ perspectives. They are clear-minded, forward- thinking, empathetic, no-nonsense, inspiring and present with their people. The leadership role fits them beautifully, like a favourite pair of shoes. Unsurprisingly, their workplace is alive with creativity, ideas and some remarkable working relationships.

This got me thinking.

What should we look for when appointing or electing someone into a leadership role? And what should we look for in ourselves if we want to be excellent people?

As the CEO I have in mind demonstrates, the answer is the combination of two things: competence and character. Enough credibility, knowledge and experience blended with a healthy attitude and moral virtue. It’s not either/or, it’s both. Competence without character will result in harmful, stressed-out, fear-filled environments. Character without competence will result in unnecessary risk and caution in followership; why go with someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, however good they are? 

Each takes work. Effort which, at the least, provides for continuous maintenance; more often, it’s something akin to a renovation. Neither competence nor character arrive by accident nor luck. They can’t be hacked into our lives. Pretence in either area is quickly discovered and discerned by others. Competence and good character are deeper qualities; that’s what makes them so valuable.

What can we look for in others, and how can we foster competence and character in ourselves? Here are some ideas.

A life-learning attitude

Competence develops as we learn. It’s almost that simple - although simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. Learning comes in many different guises. Practical and technical proficiency is important in many roles. Doctors shouldn’t be doctors without proper credentials.

Did you ever take a cycling proficiency test? I remember mine from when I was about 11 years old. I attended classes, studied the highway code and took a written test. So far, so good. But that wasn’t enough to be let out onto the roads. I needed to be observed cycling a bike safely, without falling off or hitting the various obstacles. Knowing is one thing. Applying that knowledge is entirely another.

Learning as we practice and experience in real life is just as important - often more important - than technical proficiency. Parents (arguably, every parent is a leader) know this very well. Parenting can be studied; how to help your new baby get to sleep, how to help them learn to walk, how to communicate with your teenager. There are some great books and courses out there. Yet, as every parent knows, it’s in the trial and error of daily reality where we learn what our children need from us.

A list of qualifications and past experiences can give us some clues to somebody’s competence. Traditionally, this is what’s included on a curriculum vitae (CV). The nuance that I encourage is to explore what someone has achieved, and their ongoing attitude to learning. What do they see as their most immediate learning needs and what do they intend to do about that? It’s curiosity - a desire to understand, test out ideas, learn and experiment that sets out the excellent leaders from the merely average.

Looking deeper than the technical and academic qualification is also important. How are they applying the ideas in real life and what was the impact that resulted?

For each of us to grow in competence, we can consider whether we need to orient our effort to structured learning, like a qualification, or to lived practice. Sometimes, a formal course is exactly what’s needed. Sometimes, it’s a good mentor. Other times, it’s simply getting stuck in and practicing. Always, it’s asking ourselves, ‘what can I learn and how will I go about it?’ 

Character

“A person of good character” might sound a little anachronistic, especially as some of our global leaders are exhibiting some questionable character traits at the moment. Yet, for millennia, good character, moral standing, and a virtuous life have stood as desirable - essential - qualities for anyone in a position of responsibility.

What could good character mean in practice? We can borrow from stoic philosophy to help us understand. The stoics propose four virtues, each with associated vices. We could do much worse than actively working these qualities into our lives. They are:

• Courage. The willingness to feel fear and take the morally right action regardless. Courage enables us to endure hardship, pain or setbacks; it includes the tenacity not to give up. It also takes courage when we stand up for what’s right, for good, when that’s not popular, or when there might be a personal cost.

It’s perhaps intuitive that excellent people possess courage. Think of someone you admire; the chances are that they are living a courageous life.

We can also consider two vices - weaknesses - that are associated with courage. An absence of courage is cowardice, and an excess of courage could be considered reckless. As with all virtues, it’s in the middle ground that we build excellence into our lives.

• Discipline, or temperance. A leader who blows hot and cold, who loses their temper or is impulsive creates all manner of problems. People who don’t know where they stand lose their confidence and stop contributing their ideas. Most of us shrink back if we fear punishment. A few aggressively defend themselves. Neither is constructive.

Instead, great leaders and excellent people manage their emotions and impulses. This is not to say that they are lukewarm or bland. It’s more that they curate and manage their excesses. It takes discipline to:  

• manage cash flow in a business; 

• lead people so that they are empowered and confident; 

• pursue new opportunities without breaking the company to get them; and 

• avoid the trappings associated with greed.

How we handle our money can indicate of our ability to be disciplined. Excessive spending - buying things and experiences beyond our ability to pay for them - gets us into financial trouble. But excessive saving can also be problematic if we allow a Scrooge-like mentality to take hold. Excellence is found, once again, in the middle ground between the two.

• Wisdom. Any leader must be able to make a sensible choice based on truth and knowledge that contributes positively to others. Critically, true wisdom is closely associated with humility; it would be unusual for someone who is wise to claim that they are wise. Self-promotion of wisdom is often a sign of quite the opposite.

Habits of self-reflection are associated with wisdom. Reflecting on emotions, actions and information in pursuit of what’s true, not just perceived or felt, all with the intention of reaching better decisions; acting so that others benefit.

Haste ruins wisdom. Leaping from one meeting to another, packing activity into every crevice of life squeezes out the ability to reflect and recalibrate. 

• Justice. Excellent people can sleep with a clear conscience. They act in a way that is just, recognising the universal moral law to tell the truth, act with integrity, honour, kindness and to defend the weak and powerless. They don’t act first to please others or to curate their social media profile. They act with integrity to their values, doing the right thing, even (especially) when that’s not the easy thing.

Good character blends all of these four ideas into one; they are all connected. For example, leaders of a community with financial challenges will need to work on a fiscal strategy. That will require courage, discipline, wisdom and justice in equal measure; all are necessary.

We can discern such qualities as we appoint and elect people into roles. Exploring when the candidate has exhibited courage, acted justly, or made a well-informed difficult decision will help us.

In our own lives, reflecting regularly on whether we are living true to ourselves is a very good way to identify where we can act differently, build some new habits and stretch ourselves to deepen our virtue.

What could you start or stop today that will help you?