Develop the Three Traits of a Leader

John C. Maxwell is known around the world as an authority on leadership. Maxwell has more than 50 books on the topic and his organization has trained more than 2 million leaders worldwide. Whether it’s Barack Obama leading our nation, a quarterback trying to lead his team to the conference championship or a father trying to lead his family through these difficult economic times, Maxwell says there are three characteristics needed to become a successful leader.

1.     Consensus building: Abraham Lincoln was such a phenomenal leader because he understood the importance of consensus building and bringing together the people around him to help make up for his weaknesses. “The fallacy of leadership is thinking that if you can lead in one area you can lead in all areas, and you know all the answers.” Maxwell says. “This is simply not true. The new generation of leaders needs to be consensus builders by walking slowly through the crowd and valuing the opinions of others before making any decision.”

2.     Humility: “All great leaders are humble,” Maxwell says. “Instead of talking about their own accomplishments, leaders are looking to give the team the credit.”

3.     Risk taking: Leaders are not afraid to step out and say this is what needs to be done. Another of Maxwell’s favorite leaders was Winston Churchill, who stood alone against Parliament, maintaining Nazism’s threat to Europe when many people considered it a mere nuisance. “Churchill had the courage to go against the grain, against the trend, against the current,” Maxwell says. “He had the courage to do what he felt was right even in the midst of severe opposition.”

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