Leadership: Thirteen Essential Qualities of Successful Leadership & Becoming Enlightened Leaders

LEADERSHIP Qualities or Traits:

There are Thirteen Essential Qualities of Successful Leadership and that show how to become an Enlightened Leader. These 13 qualities or skills of Successful Leadership come from 30 years of "real world - street smarts" as a senior corporate leader and the experience from sixteen successful prominent leaders that were part of my Ph.D. dissertation research.

My three decade of senior and executive leadership, the research for my Masters Degree in Management, and my research for my Ph.D. in Leadership provide me with a unique vantage point about what are the important skills or traits to become a successful and effective leader. I will share not only what I have learned in the "real world" and the "academic world," but insights as to the effects of overcoming adversity has on the shaping of successful leaders. I personally interviewed sixteen leaders that overcame adversity and had all became accomplished and well respected leaders.

The sixteen successful major leaders that graciously participated in my Doctoral Leadership and Overcoming Adversity research each had their own life journey. These sixteen leaders were successful at overcoming the obstacles in their youth and adult lives which helped them to grow.

Prominent academic leadership scholars and best selling author, such as Bass, Bennis, and Kouzes & Posner, and others essentially agree with the sixteen prominent leaders that I personally interviewed identified nine important qualities of a leader.

Here are the nine most frequently cited leadership qualities, skills, or traits are found in the classic academic leadership literature, and were either cited or agreed with by sixteen leadership and overcoming adversity research participants for my Ph.D. dissertation in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University:

1. Honesty or integrity
2. A high level of people skills
3. Initiative, assertiveness, drive, or determination
4. Excellent communication skills or willingness to speak up, take a position, or take charge
5. Vision (being forward-looking)
6. Desire or passion to lead and inspire
7. Positive attitude and self-confidence; charisma
8. Knowledge of the business and/or group task at hand; competence
9. The ability to overcome adversity or obstacles

These were the sixteen successful leaders who were interviewed for the leadership and overcoming adversity scholararly research for my Doctoral dissertatation:

Dr. Anthony Bonanzino (Intrapreneur turned Entrepreneur, Jack Canfield (Speaker, Best-Selling Author "Success Principles" and Co-Author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series), William Draper III (success Venture Capitalist and former President US Import Export Bank), Mark Victor Hansen (Speaker, Best Selling Co-Author "One Minute Millionaire," "Cracking the Millionaire Code", and "Cash in a Flash" and "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series), U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Monzer Hourani (Immigrant and Entrepreneur), U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawai'i), J. Terrence Lanni (Chairman & CEO, MGM Mirage-now retired), Dr. John Malone (Self-Made Billionaire, Chairman of Liberty Media, and Former Chairman of Tele Communications Inc., and serial Entrepreneur), Angelo Mozilo (Entrepreneur, Founder and former Chairman & CEO Countrywide), Larry Pino (Entrepreneur) , Dr. Nido Qubein (Immigrant, Serial Entrepreneur, Best Selling Author, Speaker and President of High Point University), U.S. Army Major General Sid Shachnow, Retired (Holocaust victim, immigrant, who went from US Army Private to US Army two star Major General, and now Best Selling Author), Dr. John Sperling (Self-Made Billionaire, Chairman of Apollo Group - which owns the University of Phoenix), Dr. Blenda Wilson (University Chancellor, University President and retired President & CEO of Nellie Mae Foundation), and Zig Ziglar (Best-Selling Author of over two dozen books and world renowned success and sales management expert and self help guru).

These sixteen successful major leaders that I interviewed for my Doctoral research into leadership and overcoming adversity specifically identified an additional four important qualities that are not commonly found in the academic leadership literature. These additional important factors or traits included:
10. Being a Servant-Leader, serving people, and especially being a humble leader
11. Having either religious faith and strong family ties, or both
12. Framing or recognizing the worst adversity as an opportunity not an obstacle
13. Having a mentor, or mentors, in their development as leaders and as individuals

These thirteen leadership characteristics, skills, or traits were presented in my Doctoral dissertation Leadership and Overcoming Adversity Research was peer debriefed by five internationally known best-selling authors, and well-respected leadership scholars. This Leadership and Overcoming Adversity Research was published, as a book in 2008, "Leadership and Adversity: The Shaping of Prominent Leaders."

Five respected leadership scholars, and true thought leaders on "leadership," specifically Dr. Kenneth Blanchard, Dr. John Kotter, Professor James Kouzes, Dr. Paul Stoltz, and Dr. Meg Wheatley, all offered their reviews and positive comments on my scholarly leadership and overcoming adversity research conclusions and findings the Thirteen Essential Qualities of Successful Leadership and that show how to become an Enlightened Leader.