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Nine Leadership Traits

November 7, 2001

1. "Charisma:  Creates trust and instills confidence in people, and has a talent for conveying a sense of mission.
2. Consideration for others: Listens actively to others and pays attention to them; offers advice and coaching to people who need it, especially newcomers.
3. Intellectually challenging: Rethinks old problems in new ways, and helps others do the same.  Encourages people around him to think logically and use evidence instead of offering opinion with nothing to back it up.
4. Courage:  Willing to stand up for ideas, people, and what's right regardless of the risk or consequences.
5. Reliable: Keeps promises and commitments, and accepts responsibility for his or her actions and mistakes.  Also, the ability to work dependably without the constant supervision of a boss.
6. Adaptability: Able to change according to the situation and handle more than one question or problem at a time.
7. Integrity: Committed to doing what's ethically right.  Sets a positive example for others and doesn't abuse the privileges of power.
8. Judgment:  Has the ability to make good decisions based on facts, experience, and realistic assessment of situations.  Takes the opinions and experiences of other people into account.
9. Respect:  Treats everyone with the same consideration, regardless of their rank or position in the organization (2000, Positive Leadership, p. 3)."

Looking for leaders?  Search for these nine traits. (2000,May). Positive Leadership, vol. 3,9. 

Do you possess these leadership traits?

A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2009-01-02, Updated: 2009-01-14