Maybe Integrity Is Most Important

You know what?  Maybe it’s integrity that’s the most important leadership characteristic.

Yes, definitely, integrity has to be the most important leadership characteristic. How could it not be?

Isn’t integrity the most critical of all leadership values? A great leader must have integrity.

Someone who adheres to moral and ethical principles. A person with sound moral character.  An honest person.

All of this sounds great – a leader who is honest, with sound moral character. A perfect person. This makes a great leader.

Waaaaait a minnnnnute.  Who knows anyone who is perfect?

Passion Trust Vision Decisiveness

Passion Trust Vision Decisiveness.

Wait, jungle jeff is going to change his top leadership characteristic again. First it was Trust, then Vision, and finally Passion.

Now you’re saying it’s decisiveness?

Well, maybe.

Just kidding.  Passion.  Number one leadership trait. Passion.

Can you imagine trusting someone without passion? Can you imagine a vision not inspired by passion?

Leader Vision Leader Passion

The most important leadership characteristics have been the jungle jeff topic on the past few blog posts.

First it was trust.

Then vision.

Now, actually, I’m going to just come out and say it.

The number one leader characteristic is passion.  Hands down, passion.

Final answer.

Passion!

Agree or disagree?

Leadership Vision Leader Trust

Okay, so if trust is the most important great leader characteristic, where does vision fall?

Well, as crazy, and contradictory as this is going to sound, vision is actually the most important.  What the?  Exactly.

Vision is the reason we wake up in the morning.  Vision is the reason we wake up in the middle of the night.  Vision is the reason we can’t fall asleep. Vision is what makes us do ordinary things in an extra-ordinary fashion.

Vision is a view of the future that is better than the current view.

Not talking vision statement here.  Heck, no one knows that it is anyway.  Seriously.  No one does.  And if anyone does, it’s someone who wrote it – and by now they’re probably retired or dead.  But no one else. (I’ll call your bluff on this one if you really want to disagree)

This is what makes leaders great.  A vision for the future that is better than the current vision.

A vision that is lofty, hard to articulate and you may not say it the same way twice.  A vision that is impossible.

A vision is more important than trust.

How Important is Trust?

Do You Trust The Makers Of Candy Cigarettes?
Do You Trust The Makers Of Candy Cigarettes?

Trust is often placed on the list of top leadership skills, while people are compiling key leadership skills and attributes.

How important is trust when stacked up against all the other critical leadership values?

Ever ponder the top key leadership values great leaders possess? Are you now? Good. Here are some that always make the list:

  • Vision
  • Communication
  • Results
  • Inspiration
  • Integrity
  • Trust
  • Experience
  • Relationships
  • Recognition
  • Passion
  • Focus

What do you say is your number one leadership trait?

For me, it’s trust. Everything else revolves around this simple, and often overlooked leader character trait. I place trust ahead of passion, because a leader may have passion, but people mistrust motives, for example.

If you really think about it, how can anything else matter without trust?

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