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The keys to inspired leadership

2013-06-16 03:11:47

Leadership. What is it, exactly? What are the hallmarks of leadership? And why

does it seem so hard to find good leaders?

The topic was at top of mind for a number of LinkedIn Influencers this week.

Among them: JP Morgan Chase & Co chief executive Jamie Dimon who recently

succeeded in keeping his CEO and chairman title at the bank, Microsoft Corp

founder Bill Gates, Yahoo! Inc product leader, Anand Chandrasekaran and Johns

Hopkins Medicine International CEO Steven Thomson.

Each brought a different perspective to leadership, including highlighting

characteristics of good leaders, passing on lessons learned from volunteer work

and sharing insights from one of the world s most famous investors.

A look at leadership, from people who ve been there and done it.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase & Co

Leadership is an honor, a privilege and a deep obligation. When leaders make

mistakes, a lot of people can get hurt. Being true to oneself and avoiding

self-deception are as important to a leader as having people to turn to for

thoughtful, unbiased advice, Dimon writes in his Influencer post on the

hallmarks of a good leader. I believe social intelligence and emotional

quotient, or EQ, matter in management. EQ can include empathy, clarity of

thought, compassion and strength of character.

Other traits upon which Dimon expounds: discipline; high standards; the ability

to face facts (even when they aren t pretty); openness; building a setup for

success; morale-building; loyalty; meritocracy and teamwork; fair treatment;

and humility.

Then there s what Dimon calls the grey area of leadership that are open to

interpretation.

This grey area contributes to the complexity of the challenges that leaders

and those who govern them face. Among them: motivators, compensation and

performance.

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates

Foundation

Gates, in his inaugural Influencer post, writes about what he has learned from

famous investor and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. Gates writes that

Buffett s brilliant way of looking at the world doesn t just apply to

building a business.

It s not just about investing. [Buffett] has a whole framework for business

thinking that is very powerful. He says a shareholder has to act as if he owns

the entire business, looking at the future profit stream and deciding what it s

worth.

Use your platform. He s been willing to speak frankly and criticize things

like stock options and financial derivatives [in his company newsletter]. He s

not afraid to take positions, like his stand on raising taxes on the rich, that

run counter to his self-interest.

Know how valuable your time is. There are only 24 hours in everyone s day.

Warren has a keen sense of this. He doesn t let his calendar get filled up with

useless meetings. On the other hand, he s very generous with his time for the

people he trusts. He gives his close advisers at Berkshire his phone number,

and they can just call him up and he ll answer the phone.

Anand Chandrasekaran, product leader at Yahoo

Chandrasekaran, who leads Yahoo s global search business, writes on the

leadership lessons he has learned from volunteering around the world,

concluding that our best work comes when purpose, passion and profit are

aligned. However, experiencing moments when you can feel them coming together

are few and far between.

Lessons include:

Playing for the long term. One of the first things I learned was that any

problem you're tackling has been around for decades, if not centuries. When

one is tackling such a long-term challenge by definition one develops a long

term mindset.

Assuming positive intent. We've all been there speculating what someone's

intent is. Partnerships between volunteer groups are uniquely driven by deep

trust and shared purpose. It's incredible how things get simplified when one

starts by assuming positive intent by all the other parties in any interaction.

Problems without passports. Very few things (especially challenges) that come

along can be solved by one person. Collaboration is not a luxury, but a

necessity.

Other influencers who weighed in on leadership this week:

Steven Thomson: CEO of Baltimore, Maryland-based Johns Hopkins Medicine

International. Thomson offered solutions to the traps which trip up many

promising leaders.

Michael Moritz: Chairman of California-based venture capital firm Sequoia

Capital wrote on the delicacy of conveying the truth.