Leadership Qualities: changeable or timeless?
Vicki Myoda, Management Consultant to PMA Foundation
If you have been employed for more than a few years, you’ve worked for and worked alongside dozens of managers and supervisors. How many of those would you call real leaders : people who instill in those around them a sense of purpose and passion, lifting the efforts and performance of everyone to new levels?
If your experiences are similar to mine, you can count those leaders on one hand. Why is genuine leadership so rare? And, do the qualities possessed by leaders change to meet the demands of their times?
Leadership can be an elusive concept, defined in a myriad of ways by numerous researchers over the last 50 years. Most of us feel that we “know it when we see it,” and instinctively sense that there is no one leadership cookie-cutter model. In fact, as outlined in Inc.
magazine, there have been definite eras
(dare I say fads?) of popular leadership theory:
The Age of Autocracy (1980s): Command & Control
 General Electric's Jack Welch is dubbed “Neutron Jack” for his propensity to get rid of employees while leaving buildings intact.

Oracle's Larry Ellison models himself on samurai as he attacks competitors and pushes employees to the limit.

Michael Eisner drives up Disney's stock price while driving employees crazy with his micromanagement.
The Age of Empowerment (1990s – early 2000s): Empower & Track Results

Howard Schultz's expansion plans for Starbucks rely on store-level employees making decisions based on knowledge of their regions.

Oprah Winfrey is a demanding boss--but as inspiring and caring off screen as she is on screen.

Meg Whitman takes over eBay, a company whose business model is all about autonomy, which requires her to trust people while insisting on integrity.
The Age of Nurture (now): Connect & Care
 David Neeleman dons an apron and serves snacks to JetBlue passengers.

Whole Foods's John Mackey contributes $100,000 annually to a fund for workers with personal emergencies.

Tony Hsieh enshrines honesty, humility, and weirdness among Zappos's core values.
Source: Inc.
magazine, June 2013
If we look back with disdain at some of those 1980’s examples, who can guarantee that the current trends in leadership thinking will hold up any better? A favorite on recent business bestseller lists is
Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why (2009) and Leaders Eat Last (2014). His engaging 2009 TED talk, which lays out the premise of “Start with Why,” is the second most popular in the history of the site, with over 17.5 million views as of this writing. Has Mr. Sinek discovered something new in the field of leadership?
The theme of Start with Why is that leaders (and organizations) who know and can communicate why they are doing what they are doing (in other words, who have - and who can effectively explain - an underlying purpose, or cause, or belief that drives them) will inspire others to act. Sinek draws a valuable distinction between this type of inspirational, internal motivation, and the external motivators

(incentives, threats) used by the “authorities” (his term for non-leaders who are nonetheless in positions of power) to drive employees to perform.
Sinek’s latest book ( Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t ) adds another quality to his definition of leaders: they put others first, setting aside their own comfort for the good of those in their care (as do officers in the Marines, who, for instance, eat only after their troops are fed).
Parents who work tirelessly and sacrifice to give their children opportunities to succeed and achieve are also cited as leadership models. The result of this behavior on the part of leaders, says Sinek, is the creation of a “circle of safety” within which team members feel secure to pursue their mission, knowing that the leader “has their back.”
These two ideas may sound new, but one historical figure revered for his leadership capabilities put them both into practice over 150 years ago – along with most other attributes from modern “top leadership qualities” lists. One is hard pressed to find a book on leadership that does not include at least some mention of Abraham Lincoln. Historian Frank J. Williams asserts “Lincoln became and remains the role model for American leadership.”
1
Author Donald T. Phillips ( Lincoln on Leadership) argues that Lincoln’s accomplishments as President were miraculous, given that he had never before held an executive leadership position, had been only a one-term national congressman, had no military experience to speak of, had never been in battle...Abraham
Lincoln appeared unable to lead the nation out of its dark dilemma...virtually no one would have been able to predict the unparalleled strength of his leadership.
2
What attributes did Lincoln embody – and are they still relevant? Let’s begin with Simon Sinek’s desired qualities:
1.
“Start with Why.” At every conceivable opportunity during the Civil War, Lincoln spoke and wrote about “the great cause” of preserving the Union. Saving the United States from disintegration, keeping alive the unique experiment begun by the founding fathers (as Lincoln put it, “giving liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but hope to the world for all future time”
3
) , was clearly and emphatically the “why.” Everyone who interacted with Lincoln, or heard him speak, or read his writings, knew why the nation was at war. It was a simple vision, filled with integrity and high ideals, and it provided inspirational motivation (as Sinek would say) to the American people.
2.
“Leaders Eat Last” (putting others before self). When William Herndon, Lincoln’s law partner, was interviewed about the then president-elect, he said, “Lincoln is a man of heart...gentle and tender” (while also noting “he has a will strong as iron”)
4
. As Lincoln scholar Williams notes,
Despite the burdens and responsibilities of the Civil War presidency...
Lincoln insisted upon remaining accessible to individuals who wanted to see him personally. Although the time spent with all these visitors intensified Lincoln’s exhaustion, he could not shut them out.
5
Lincoln was also known for writing hundreds of letters to bereaved parents of Union soldiers, and for his habit of riding out among the troops (frequently speaking to them about “the great cause”), regardless of the weather or the considerable threat to his personal safety. During one rainy day of saluting

regiment after regiment as they passed through Washington, Lincoln was soaked to the skin. “If they can stand it,” he said, “I guess I can.”
6
Other “top five” leadership qualities exuded by Lincoln, and still routinely set forth as desirable for today’s leaders:
3.
Honesty, integrity, character . All the theories and guidelines of leadership fall apart without the trust that honesty and integrity engender. Lincoln acquired the nickname “Honest Abe” during the 1830s, when he opened and ran a general store, becoming known as a fair and honest businessman. In his decades in public life, even his bitterest political enemies had to concede the integrity of his character.
4.
Build strong alliances . Modern studies in the field of leadership recognize and emphasize the need for building strong interpersonal relationships and bonds. Lincoln was a role model of
“management by walking around” (a phrase coined by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in
Searching for Excellence ). He proved especially adept at turning foes into allies (as detailed in
Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin), becoming closest to the two members of his cabinet who had originally thought the worst of him.
7
Lincoln gained commitment and respect from his people because he was willing to take time from his schedule to hear what they had to say, even when they disagreed with him.
5.
Proactive communication . It is well known that Lincoln was shy in his youth; by study and practice he became an outstanding writer and public speaker – as well as an excellent conversationalist. In most organizations, private conversation is much more important than public speaking, providing direct contact with the individuals actually doing the work. Effective leaders spend time making the one-to-one contacts that do more to create loyalty and engagement than multiple e-mail pronouncements.
Although authors and researchers will continue to investigate “the latest” in leadership theory, it appears that some leadership traits may, indeed, stand the test of time. Think back to those genuine leaders whom you have known. Do you think the qualities that made them shine as leaders would still work today?
Finally, as you consider your own styles as a leader, worry less about the latest “top qualities” list and consider this advice from John C. Maxwell, recently named by Inc.
magazine as the #1 leadership and management expert in the world:
Successful people don’t take the advice of everyone, nor do they try to do everything on their own. Instead, they find successful models who exemplify the values, skills and qualities they desire to possess.
Find a leader who inspires you - past or present, known to you personally or to the world. Then, study and emulate their habits, using their example to spur you on to improve your own leadership capabilities.
1
Simon, John Y. and Holzer, Harold (editors), The Lincoln Forum: Rediscovering Abraham Lincoln . New
York: Fordham University Press, 2002.
2
Phillips, Donald T., Lincoln on Leadership . New York: Warner Books, 1992, p. 9
3
Ibid., p. 163

4
Simon and Holzer, p. 115
5
Ibid., p.117
6
Phillips, p. 19
7
Ibid., p.29
For additional reading:
Lincoln on Leadership
True North
Forbes articles
Fortune articles
Give and Take: a Revolutionary Approach to Success
21 Laws of Leadership
The Leadership Challenge