15 Traits of Great Leaders
By Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Today’s post will make the case for leadership development. While much has been written about the traits and characteristics that form great leaders, the truth is that leaders come in many different varieties…there is no one-size-fits-all formula for leadership. That said, all good leaders possess certain core qualities, and great leaders simply develop said core qualities to a higher level than their peers. Put simply, a leader’s shelf life will be equal to their ability to leverage their leadership traits through solid execution, and influencing their constituencies in alignment with the corporate vision with values. If you want to insure longevity and success as a leader, focus on developing your leadership acumen by prioritizing your efforts on the following list of 15 leadership traits:
CEOs need to realize that neither their success, nor their failure is a random act. CEOs also can rarely lay blame for their victories and losses on anyone other than themselves. Top CEOs have a knack for consistently exhibiting the right combination of skill sets, competencies, leadership aptitude, and decisioning ability. Failed CEOs simply do not. Having success as a CEO is little more than a matter of understanding where and when to apply leverage to highest and best use activities. In today’s post we’re going back to “CEO 101″ to get a bit of a refresher course on things you should already know, but that you most probably fail to apply correctly on a day-to-day basis… 
This is another one of those, “I wonder how many subscribers and followers I’ll lose when they read this?” kind of post…Okay, I know business is far less formal today than in times past. I understand that many are more tolerant of colorful language than they used to be. In fact, some even encourage the use of profanity as being true to ones authentic self. Call me old school if you will, but I don’t buy any of the aforementioned arguments as legitimate in supporting the use of indiscreet, inappropriate, and unprofessional language. I submit that it is high time that we refuse to tolerate the use of profanity in forums where as leaders we have a say. In the text that follows I’ll attempt to make a compelling case for your consideration.
What I’m about to espouse will cause many an eyebrow to furrow and jaw to drop…I truly believe that the practice of sales as a business discipline has become at best ineffective, and in many cases flat out obsolete. You see, good business practices are not static. Stale methodologies and disciplines simply die a slow and very painful death, and it is my contention that the overwhelming majority of sales processes I see in today’s marketplace are just that…stale. If you want to create revenue, increase customer satisfaction, and drive brand equity, stop selling and start adding value. In the text that follows I’ll share my thoughts on how the practice of sales must change in order to survive. 
When passion impedes purpose…an interesting title, but is it really possible for passion to impede purpose? Isn’t passion a good thing? Sure, in most cases passion is an asset that will carry you though tough times, sharpen your perspective, and help you succeed in the face of overwhelming odds. That being said, I’ve also witnessed passion run-a-muck and cause untold harm. It has been my experience that passion only becomes a barrier to success when it is misunderstood and/or misapplied. So, in today’s post I’ll examine the downside of unbridled passion, so that passion can remain an asset, and not end-up becoming a liability for you or your company…. 