If leadership can be learned, what exactly must one learn? Is it knowledge that one acquires systematically through concepts? Is it a skill that one learns through apprenticeship by emulating a master? Or is it a practice where one only masters by working on the foundational things over and over again?

I’ve thought about this question for a good many years. At Matterbridge, I work with leaders from many organizations. Leadership is critical to my work in two ways. First, a consultant, who by definition lacks formal authority, must excel in galvanizing cooperation from both his internal team and client organization to execute in exigent environments. Second, even the most capable consultant relies on effective leaders in the client organization to actualize recommendations. Ultimately, their effectiveness determines whether a consultant contributes and achieves results.

Setting aside organizational factors, there is ample opportunity to develop our own leadership qualities. The most effective leaders I have seen differ greatly in temperament, yet they consistently demonstrate certain shared dispositions that merit close attention. Learning this is fundamental to effective collaboration and decision-making in the human world.

In my experience, effective leadership requires two things: care and clarity. If you can’t care for another person, you cannot be a leader. Destructive leadership behavior may include behaviors that were not intended to cause harm, but as a result of thoughtlessness, insensitivity, or lack of competence, undermines the organization.

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