Leadership is Not Atomic
<p>In the hundreds of media appearances I’ve done since my book came out I’ve often been asked questions such as, “What’s the most important skill someone needs to be a leader?” Wanting to be a good guest, I used to try to come up with an answer, even though I didn’t like the question. Often, I would pick a few things since it’s not just one thing, but over time I realized that’s not the response I should give. The question itself belies the wrong approach to leadership.</p>
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<p><em>Leadership is complex.</em></p>
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<p>Quite simply, leadership is not atomic. It’s not a single thing. There’s no one universal rule that applies to everyone, no one skill that separates the good from the great, or even the good from the bad. Effective leadership is a holistic combination of many skills.</p>
<p>Consider a sport like basketball. We could ask, “What’s the one thing someone can do to become a better basketball player?” Getting better at shooting certainly helps. But lay-ups are different from shooting three pointers, which are different from free throws. You could get better at rebounding. Of course, there’s dribbling, which is fundamental, as is passing. We haven’t yet talked about defense. Fundamental physical capabilities like raw speed matters as does overall endurance. Then there’s court sense, having a feel for the situation on the court and knowing what to do.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@markaherschberg/leadership-is-not-atomic-1d806d90b363"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>