(From Forbes) -- Talent, in and of itself, is highly overrated. While not all leaders will develop their talents and abilities to the same level, all successful leaders more or less begin with the same foundation. Here’s the thing – most foundational elements of leadership require no skill or talent whatsoever. Clearly the difference possessed by all great leaders is they continue to refine, develop and build from their foundation – they understand leadership is not a destination; it’s a continuum. The best leaders combine attitude, effort and skill, but of the three, skill is the least important. When in doubt, always choose attitude over aptitude. In today’s column I’ll share 6 leadership characteristics that require zero talent or skill.
I’ve always said, leadership is a choice, and great leaders not only choose to lead – they choose to lead well. You can develop talent, but you can’t teach work ethic. When evaluating people’s leadership ability I would suggest evaluating their drive, discipline, dedication, determination, and desire more than their potential.
What we’re experiencing today is too much form over substance – leaders lacking in foundation, but replete with social/political savvy. Organizations would be well served to move past the infatuation with beauty contests and look for real strength in the areas that matter. In the list that follows, I’m going to share with you 6 leadership characteristics (in no particular order of preference) that require absolutely no talent or ability, but that must be present in order to succeed over the long-haul as a leader.
1. Show-up: You can’t make a difference if you don’t show-up. It requires zero talent to be present mentally and physically. In most sports I’m aware of you cannot play if you don’t suit-up and show-up. Leadership is a participation sport and never works well in absentia.
2. Care: There is great truth in the old axiom “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Extending basic human courtesy requires no talent – just a willingness to behave in a decent manner. It’s highly probable you don’t like rude, elitist, arrogant, dismissive, or condescending people, so don’t become one yourself.
3. Hustle: I learned this lesson at an early age… I had a basketball coach take me aside after I finished far ahead of the pack after a long set of down-and-backs. He pointed to a slower teammate who was still running his lines and said, “he may not be as fast, but he’s giving 100% – Did you?” He went on to say, ”it takes no talent to hustle and your team deserves better.” I don’t ever remember dogging-it again.
