The seven habits of leaders

In a system not everyone is a leader. Every leader is not a leader in every system.

Leaders, in systemspeak, arise as a result of their habits.

Leaders arise out of habits that cause them to respond to events and challenges in ways that put them at the helm of the affairs. Leaders arise out of habits that allow them to emerge as those who determine the purposes and missions of the system.

What are these habits leaders sport that cause them to emerge as leaders?

Last October I worked with leaders from across a dozen countries to identify habits that help them to emerge as leaders. Habits that they sported with greater or lesser practice and perfection that made a difference to whether they would be leaders in particular contexts.

Here are seven habits that we found common to everyone who has been propelled into leadership.

Initiative

Leaders are habitual in displaying initiative. In any circumstance leaders rarely wait for others to make the first move. They walk the first step. They act first. They take initiative. They recognize the importance of making the move, of changing the conditions through their willingness to participate in making a difference. Without initiative the efforts at bringing about change would not be possible.

With every initiative comes risk- the risk of being wrong, the risk of moving from a status quo, the risk of driving change. Leaders take the risk.



Reagan and Gorbachev demonstrated tremendous initiative in their acts that led to the end of the cold war. Obama shows tremendous initiative in reaching out to adversaries. He showed initiative in launching new agendas for America. He showed initiative in moving from personality politics to issue based politics. Martin Luther King took initiative in launching the Civil Rights Movement or John Hope Bryant in launching the Silver Rights Movement.

Envisioning

Leaders have a terrific ability to envision a world that is different from the current reality. They are rarely drawn down by “practical” reality. They dream and share dreams. They are habitual visionaries. They see the world as it can be. They visualize life as it should be. They share their vision eloquently. They let people experience the world in their minds, to live through the change, the transformation that the vision implies.




Martin Luther King had a dream. He visualized a world where people are not judged by their color but by their character.

John F. Kennedy dreamt having man on moon. Verghese Kurien envisioned a milk flood in a milk scarce India and then with Jayant Chayya a oil flood for India. Sam Pitroda envisioned an India empowered by telephones.

Inclusion

Leaders exhibit the habit of inclusion. They go out of their way to invite, include and partner stakeholders. The best leaders have been very inclusive. They do not exclude even their rivals in the process of leading. They have the habits that would bring people together, especially ones with diverse perspectives. They have the habit of including all stakeholders in leading the community to new horizons.



Abraham Lincoln is most famously known for the emancipation proclamation as one of the most inclusive efforts across of all times.

Mohandas Gandhi had the habit of including different stakeholders of society. When he was asked whether he was a Hindu, he replied: "Yes I am. I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew". He coined the term 'Harijans', which means children of God to include the untouchable communities in India and even ran his publication in the same name.

Obama has demonstrated the inclusion habit at its best in recent times. He has included the most diverse stakeholder communities in the truly touching ways.



Clarity

Leaders exhibit great clarity of thought and expression. They remove ambiguity, hate opaqueness and are extremely clear and transparent. They have a clarity of purpose.

Lokmanya Tilak, one of the founders of the swadeshi movement, was clear about wanting swaraj or self-rule which he proclaimed as his birth-right. Nelson Mandela exhibited great clarity of his struggle to get a franchise, one-man-one vote, for all South Africans.



Focus

Without focus on what really matters, no leader can drive their agenda. The habit of being able to stay on that really important thing and not get distracted from the dozen that seem to relate to the agenda distinguishes a leader.

Obama focused on Change. Whatever he said, the focus on change was strongly underlined. He became the Change you can believe in.



Persistence

It is not easy to persist in the face of adversity, delays and distractions. The habit to persist on the ones agenda requires a rare tenacity that is exhibited by the most remarkable leaders.

Steve Jobs has persisted with his dreams amidst repeated difficulties, adversity and long delays.



Mahatma Gandhi persisted with his fight against British injustice despite the most adversarial conditions. Martin Luther King led the Civil Rights movement to his dream despite the greatest adversity that eventually cost him his life.

Openness

It’s easy to be closed in ones thoughts, opinions and experiences. It is difficult to cultivate the habit of openness. It is difficult to be open to diverse perspectives, to new-stakeholders and to different outcomes. The habit of openness allows the possibility space to expand and make various options happen.

Obama has exhibited the habit of openness by encouraging diverse participation into determining his agenda for change. He has demonstrated openness in seeking participation and opening the reform agenda down to the town-hall in the most open way.

Jimbo Wales has built an entire Open-Source encyclopedia on the habit of openness. Trusting the contributions of everyone and the wisdom of all to steer the community to the right, he has created history from the principles of openness.