Management styles have been examined, analyzed, and defined extensively throughout the years. Clearly, there is not one best management style, and leaders need to be able to adapt based on the situation. It requires a different style when a company is in a crisis versus when a company is thriving. However, the leaders I tend to stay in contact with throughout the years are not necessarily the ones who had the best vision, held the most authority, or had the most laissez-faire approach. Instead, they were the most virtuous. Our English word virtuous is derived from the Latin word virtus, meaning high character or strength. These virtuous leaders held similar traits:
- Honest and trustworthy.
- Humble, they had no desire to be the smartest person in the room. Instead, they leaned in and learned from others.
- Supportive and protective of their teams.
- Genuine and held empathy for others.
- Willing to always say they were sorry and admit when they did not have all the answers.
- Positive and uplifting
- Lead by example
- Recognize that not every directive from upper management may be ideal. Be willing to disclose their concerns, but in the end, ask for your commitment. Realize we can’t spend all our energy and efforts focusing on things we can’t change. We can vent, but then we can all move toward the common goal.
- A good listener. As in a marriage, sometimes we simply want to be heard.
- A commitment to help grow your people. Often, leaders seem more interested in developing themselves rather than others around them.
These types of true leaders exist not just when we work alongside them, but are the ones who tend to develop into lifelong friends. Character plays a significant role in life, but it is an area of leadership we should nurture in our organizations. Simply training managers or leaders in basic skill sets is not enough. Strong character should not be left to chance. Instead, it should be a driving force within our organizations.
Exploring new boundries 