ity to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow fro

The greatest sharing of information doesn’t always happen in the classroom. The night prior to an event I spoke at in Scottsdale, Arizona the leadership team of this client was assembled at the Pinnacle Peak Patio Steakhouse; world-renown for cutting off any necktie that walks into their establishment and proudly hanging it from the ceiling.

As we waited on our meals to arrive I was asked a very insightful question. From the last 14 years of working with leadership teams from numerous organizations, what would I say is the most important three characteristics of a well-respected leader in an organization? He went on to clarify his question was more concerned with leadership longevity as opposed to the shooting star leader who comes from no where, gets everyone pumped up, and moves on to his next conquest.

He hypothesized that through sound bites and high energy most any charismatic individual can ascend to the top (he then referenced a recent President.)

Indeed, how does one stay on top and continue to have people follow years and years in the business world?

1. Competence

There is no substitution for the ability to perform. The old saying, a rising tide lifts all ships is also true in the business world. If the economy is good, the organization is on a fast growth track and customer interest is high it’s easy to look good without regard to ability. The only competence in times like these is in not screwing up. Real competence appears in tough times. Who is willing to make the hard decisions, who has the confidence to stay with the vision, and who has the ability to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow from

insightful question. From the last 14 years of working with leadership teams from numerous organizations, what would I say is the most important three characteristics of a well-respected leader in an organization? He went on to clarify his question was more concerned with leadership longevity as opposed to the shooting star leader who comes from no where, gets everyone pumped up, and moves on to his next conquest.

He hypothesized that through sound bites and high energy most any charismatic individual can ascend to the top (he then referenced a recent President.)

Indeed, how does one stay on top and continue to have people follow years and years in the business world?

1. Competence

There is no substitution for the ability to perform. The old saying, a rising tide lifts all ships is also true in the business world. If the economy is good, the organization is on a fast growth track and customer interest is high it’s easy to look good without regard to ability. The only competence in times like these is in not screwing up. Real competence appears in tough times. Who is willing to make the hard decisions, who has the confidence to stay with the vision, and who has the ability to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow fro

next conquest.

He hypothesized that through sound bites and high energy most any charismatic individual can ascend to the top (he then referenced a recent President.)

Indeed, how does one stay on top and continue to have people follow years and years in the business world?

1. Competence

There is no substitution for the ability to perform. The old saying, a rising tide lifts all ships is also true in the business world. If the economy is good, the organization is on a fast growth track and customer interest is high it’s easy to look good without regard to ability. The only competence in times like these is in not screwing up. Real competence appears in tough times. Who is willing to make the hard decisions, who has the confidence to stay with the vision, and who has the ability to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow fro

ships is also true in the business world. If the economy is good, the organization is on a fast growth track and customer interest is high it’s easy to look good without regard to ability. The only competence in times like these is in not screwing up. Real competence appears in tough times. Who is willing to make the hard decisions, who has the confidence to stay with the vision, and who has the ability to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow fro

ity to shine even in the darkest times.

Competence as a leader is having all the tools for what ever the occasion and knowing when to use what tool. It’s ignoring the path of least resistance and doing what is best for everyone involved regardless of the potential personal peril because you believe in your skills.

Competence is also having the self-confidence to admit mistakes and grow from those errors, publicly and openly.

Competence doesn’t come from a college degree and it doesn’t come from watching the actions of others. It’s all about doing. Doing the things that you know to your core is the right thing to do regardless of what the market is telling you. Competent leaders aren’t looking first for personal gain and they aren’t looking at the uncontrollable negatives all businesses face.

Competent leaders have the ability to see the full view of any situation and with great frequency can deliver just the right outcome at just the right time. Seldom do we celebrate the competent leader because they aren’t looking for the headlines for their successes and they don’t make the nasty headlines because they don’t make those kinds of mistakes. But, if you look for well-run companies with a long history of success and a leader in place for many years, you will find a leader of vast confidence.

2. Consistency

Leadership consistency is not about having the board meeting at the same time every week like clock work. It is not about using the same marketing strategy.

A leader who is consistent is not chasing customer fads. People don’t know what to expect from organizations chasing whatever they can make money on, because it speaks of insecurity and desperation. Take fast food burger joints for instance. One day they are selling me double bacon cheeseburgers with super-sized French fries and milk shakes and the next day they are telling me they care about my health and want me to eat salads or their burgers wrapped in as leaf of lettuce. Huh? Now the bur