Leadership Communication
Are leaders born or made?
While some leaders like Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ possess natural qualities that help in leadership (photographic memory, optimistic temperament, unbounded energy), most leadership traits are developed through discipline and hard work. As Teddy Roosevelt wrote, some have natural talents, but most people's success comes from combining ordinary talents with sustained effort to make them extraordinary. These great leaders recognized their flaws and worked to improve themselves, showing that effective leadership typically comes from the development of skills rather than innate abilities alone.
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KTLA 5
11:12 - 15:08
What are the essential qualities that define a good political leader?
According to Doris Kearns Goodwin, character is the most important quality of a good leader, encompassing empathy, resilience, trustworthiness, and ambition for the greater good. She emphasizes that a leader should be someone who can be trusted to keep their word, accept loss gracefully, and have empathy toward people different from them. Goodwin notes that we need leaders whose words can inspire and unite rather than hurt and divide. She argues that trustworthiness is particularly crucial today when public trust in government has eroded. A leader of good character will naturally figure out what the country needs, whereas someone who lacks character but aligns with certain policies cannot be truly trusted to serve the public interest.
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NBC News
21:25 - 23:55
How does Amy Edmondson define leadership?
According to Amy Edmondson, while there are many definitions of leadership, she prefers defining it as 'the ability to harness the efforts of others to achieve greatness.' Leadership is fundamentally about making a difference and creating outcomes that wouldn't otherwise happen. Leaders are inherently vulnerable to others' willingness to contribute not just effort, but also ingenuity, heart, and soul to a collective purpose. True leadership inspires voluntary commitment, prompting the question: for whom would people willingly work hard, stretch themselves, and fully engage under various conditions?
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The New Human Movement
37:53 - 38:52
How does Amy Edmondson define effective leadership?
Amy Edmondson defines leadership as the ability to harness the efforts of others to achieve greatness. According to her, leadership is fundamentally about making a difference and inspiring others to voluntarily contribute their best efforts. She emphasizes that effective leadership is not about formal positional power but rather the capacity to inspire people to give that extra voluntary contribution. Edmondson notes that leaders are vulnerable to others' willingness to step up with effort, ingenuity, and heart. She distinguishes between 'getting ahead' and 'making a difference,' highlighting that true leadership focuses on the latter. People follow effective leaders not because of authority but because they're inspired to contribute their full potential toward meaningful outcomes.
Watch clip answer (02:09m)The New Human Movement
38:03 - 40:12
What does leadership truly mean according to Ursula Burns?
According to Ursula Burns, leadership means taking a clear stance, standing firmly behind it, and accepting both the consequences when wrong and the glory when right. She emphasizes that true leadership requires compromise, investing for the long term, and making your point known while accepting the repercussions of your decisions. Burns contrasts this with what she observed in both politics (the debt ceiling negotiations) and business (the subprime market crisis), where short-term thinking prevailed over building long-term value. She notes that authentic leadership is actually 'a scarce example around the world.'
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The Economic Club of Washington, D.C.
25:32 - 27:01
What are the key elements of effective leadership according to Henry Kravis?
According to Henry Kravis, effective leadership requires several essential elements. First, leadership depends on having followers, which necessitates strong communication skills to convey your message clearly. He emphasizes that leadership is about taking people to areas they never thought they could reach or attain. Kravis also believes leadership isn't about one person but about the team you build. He values a strong value system as the compass that guides leadership, stressing that true leaders don't just talk about values but demonstrate them through consistent actions and personal example. This alignment between words and actions is what ultimately inspires others to follow.
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SEO Scholars
12:58 - 15:01