How would you define leadership? Are there any universal characteristics of good leadership? How can you tell? If so, what are the top 3-5 characteristics of good leadership regardless of context?
Mădălina Bălan – Managing Partner Hart Consulting
Every organization will face a crisis at some point. Whether an organization succeeds through a crisis is dependent upon its leader’s actions. In fact, a leader’s legacy is often determined by how he or she handles a major crisis. Effective leaders must make good decisions quickly, often based on limited information. Effective leaders must serve as a rallying force that keeps employees on track. Organizations with the best leaders are the ones that come out on top when the crisis subsides. The question then is this: What personality characteristics are most critical for leading through a crisis?
Kyle Cermak, Regional Director, Europe la Hogan Assessment Systems
Of course, you can ask anyone on the street what it takes to lead through a crisis, and they will give you an answer. So why should you listen to Hogan? The difference between Hogan and everyone else is that we have been systematically studying personality and leadership effectiveness for more than 30 years. What does that research tell us?
First, Hogan research shows that an effective leader in a crisis remains calm, takes charge, and confidently makes critical decisions. In a crisis, people look to their leader for guidance on how to respond. If the leader is calm and sets a path forward, people will remain calm and order will be maintained. If the leader is panicked and lacks confidence about the actions to take, people will start to panic and chaos will ensue. Well-adjusted and ambitious leaders quickly adapt to unexpected changes caused by the crisis, such as the sudden shift to remote work many are experiencing, and they communicate with people about how to proceed.
Mădălina Bălan – Managing Partner Hart Consulting
Psychological research shows that every crisis comes with increased stress. We find that leaders who are effective during crises face stressful challenges head on. They are honest with themselves and others about the size of the problem and put mitigating actions into place as soon as possible. They remain open to new ideas, maintain trust in their teams, stay engaged and connected, communicate openly and transparently, and are true to their word.
Most effective crisis leaders show compassion and work to stay connected with the needs of their employees, customers, communities, and partners. While an ambitious and steady leader reduces panic and sets out a future plan, employees must also continue to feel valued by the organization and that their concerns are being addressed. Great leaders, regardless of times, genuinely care for their colleagues, their communities, and their constituencies, and they act as a unifying force through the crisis.
Cristina Mancaș – HRVP South Europe Schneider Electric
When I think about leadership I usually compare it with” parenting”, because, after all, we are all striving to inspire our children, to give them good and actionable advice, to instil in them fundamental values that can help them in the long run and, ultimately, we all hope to earn their trust, love and respect. In my opinion, leadership is not very far from that.
Mircea Tiplea – Partner, Amrop Romania
I think we can talk about two types of definitions of leadership: one is contextual and the other is general. The contextual definition refers to a certain situation a given organization finds itself in and how efficient the leader’s actions are to achieve the results: good leaders deliver results; very good leaders deliver results and develop people and teams; exceptional leaders have such a great impact on people that they leave a legacy behind.
The more I read and study about leadership, the more convinced I am that the act of leadership is, in fact, about energy! You are a source of energy for the people you interact with.
Corneliu Bodea – CEO Adrem & President of Romanian Energy Center
Leadership is the ability to act and express yourself in such a way that people will feel, understand, and follow your vision like their own. The universal characteristics of good leadership are in my view: authenticity, presence, warmth, power and resilience.
I am a lover of history and books, and I can tell this from what I have learned from the books that I read. I can also say this from my personal experience with people. Authenticity is, in my view, the one that regardless of the context is a must have.
