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Attitudes of Leadership

August 26, 2003

* "First, a lively intellectual curiosity, an interest in everything - because everything really is related to everything else, and therefore to what you're trying to do, whatever it is.
* Second, a genuine interest in what other people think, and why they think that way - which means you have to be at peace with yourself for a start.
* Third, a feeling of special responsibility for envisioning a future that's different from a straight-line projection of the present.  Trends are not destiny.
* Fourth, a hunch that most risks are there not to be avoided but to be taken.
* Fifth, a mindset that crises are normal, tensions can be promising, and complexity is fun.
* Sixth, a realization that paranoia and self-pity are reserved for people who don't want to be leaders.
* Seventh, a sense of personal responsibility for the general outcome of your efforts.
* Eighth, a quality I call 'unwarranted optimism' the conviction that there must be some more upbeat outcome than would result from adding up all the available expert advice (Cleveland, 2002, pp. 7-8)."

Reference:  Cleveland, H. (2002).  Nobody in charge: essays on the future of leadership.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Do you possess these leadership attitudes?

Nobody in Charge! is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2008-12-22, Updated: 2009-01-09