Ian Davis

What are the common traits of great leaders?

Firstly, he defines the prerequisite for leadership.

• Non-hierachical concept
• Multi-faceted concept
• Contextually-driven

He talked about five things that great leaders actually do in common.
"Not what they are, not what they say, but what they actually do."

1. Set a direction

• It might be a vision, culture or strategy, but people in the organization know where the company is going.

2. Initiate stuff

• It might be starting something, or stopping things from happening.

3. Stick with it

• It might be a determination, bullheadedness or obstinacy, but they sustain the momentum for a certain period of time.

4. Motivate people

• He used to say 'spur'. Greed, fear, manipulation, encouragement, selection and appointment are the examples.

5. Lead by examples

Finally, he gave us some tips for nurturing these traits.

1. Spend some time thinking about the context point. 

• Think about history, crisis, people, culture and values.
• Great leaders do not complain and do not blame.

2. Leadership can be taught a bit, but can be learned a lot and experienced a lot.

• It is hard to learn about judgement, diplomacy, statesmanship and cultural sensitivity in a classroom setting.

3. Nurture leadership in others.

• Give people you work with leadership opportunities.

References

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhZ3R022qyY
• https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/ian-davis-five-things-successful-leaders-do
• http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/leading_in_the_21st_century/letter_to_a_newly_appointed_ceo
• http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/growth/how_to_escape_the_short-term_trap
• http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/the_new_normal
• http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/strategy/reflections_on_corporate_longevity