Terry St. Marie
More Human Leadership

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Basic Instincts: 10 Leadership Acts You Shouldn’t Have to Think About

April 28, 2013 14 Comments

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It’s once again time for my annual trip to Chicago next weekend, for my SOBCon event.    The thought of that trip always brings back memories of a conversation I had a few years ago at the event with my good friend and fellow blogger Chris Garrett.

In that conversation, we had a (very) deep discussion about the things that were “like breathing” to me – those things that define who I am, but I rarely thought about, because they come completely naturally.  I ended up writing a post about it afterwards,  and that concept, “like breathing”,  has stuck with me in a powerful way ever since, especially when it comes to my beliefs about great leadership.

Why?  Because I believe that great leaders possess a set of instincts that transcend any premeditation, or drawn out meditation, or deliberate choice.

Certain acts just happen.   They shouldn’t be thought about.  

It’s like breathing.

Which acts am I talking about?   There are 10 that are fundamental to me.

1)  Courtesy  –  Words like “Please” and “Thank You“, and all the other common courtesies are such a meaningful foundation to great leadership.

2) Generosity – I’m not talking about money here.  It’s generosity of time and spirit, and  possession of an open heart (and mind).

3) Humility –  It’s never about us. The natural inclination to “credit them, blame yourself”.

4) Empathy –  If we can’t put ourselves in the other person shoes, we can’t lead them.

5) Consideration –  It’s the Golden Rule at work – “do onto others….

6) Bravery – Decisions get made. Risks are taken.  Leadership requires bravery almost every single day.

7) Compassion – When it comes to people, we know when enough is enough, and things aren’t working.  It takes compassion to do the right thing, for everyone.

8) Integrity –  The truth, and nothing but the truth, comes out of us.

9) Civility –  Anger stays controlled, verbal abuse is not tolerated (or used), and dirty laundry stays private.

10) Contrition – When we’re wrong, or we made a mistake, we say so –  and if we need to apologize, we do.

Think of a person that can act in these ways, absolutely naturally, without thinking about it.

Think then of how it would be like to work for, or follow, this person.

If it’s THAT natural, then the acts can be fully trusted.   The leader is solid as a rock.   They will show the way.

It’s like breathing.

And greatness will follow.

Lead well!

(Photo by Bigstock)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Leadership, SOBCon

Comments

  1. Carl says

    April 29, 2013 at 12:44 am

    Terry, great post and excellent list, both to reflect on and embrace.

    Thank you for your work

    Best regards,
    Carl
    @SparktheAction

  2. Joseph Lalonde says

    April 29, 2013 at 3:08 am

    Terry, you hit the nail on the head with this list.

  3. Starbucker says

    April 29, 2013 at 8:54 am

    Thanks Carl for your kind words, and it’s my pleasure. All the best!
    Terry

  4. Starbucker says

    April 29, 2013 at 10:24 am

    Hi Joseph, thanks for your comment, and all the best!
    Terry

  5. Gianluigi Cuccureddu says

    May 6, 2013 at 11:08 am

    Great list Terry, I curated it here:
    http://www.damarque.com/blog/gianluigi-cuccureddu/ten-fundamental-leadership-acts

  6. Starbucker says

    May 6, 2013 at 1:12 pm

    Thanks Gianlulgi for the kind words, and the link.
    All the best!
    Terry

  7. James Strock says

    May 27, 2013 at 5:37 pm

    Thanks for sharing these, Terry! Terrific reminders. They’re all about remembering to serve other people first. Then things just seem to work out. 🙂

  8. Starbucker says

    May 28, 2013 at 1:36 pm

    Hi James, thanks for the kind (and wise) words. “Serve other people first”. Yep 🙂

    All the best,
    Terry

Trackbacks

  1. Basic Instincts: 10 Leadership Acts You Shouldn... says:
    April 28, 2013 at 4:19 pm

    […] It’s once again time for my annual trip to Chicago next weekend, for my SOBCon event. The thought of that trip always brings back memories of a conversation I had a few years ago at the event with my good friend and fellow blogger Chris Garrett.  […]

  2. Basic Instincts: 10 Leadership Acts You Shouldn’t Have to Think About | People Discovery says:
    April 29, 2013 at 12:42 am

    […] See on http://www.terrystarbucker.com […]

  3. Basic Instincts: 10 Leadership Acts You Shouldn... says:
    May 18, 2013 at 6:44 am

    […] It’s once again time for my annual trip to Chicago next weekend, for my SOBCon event.  […]

  4. When Leaders Make Mistakes – Leading With Maturity | "The front of the jersey…" says:
    May 18, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    […] Starbrucker describes contrition as one of the 10 leadership acts you shouldn’t have to think about. Kevin Eikenberry described 10 phrases every leader should use, and numbers 1 through 3 are […]

  5. Ledarinstinkter | Vargkask AB says:
    May 20, 2013 at 9:39 pm

    […] läser i Terry Starbuckers bloggpost (länk här) om 10 st basala ledarförmågor/-ageranden som man bara förväntar sig ska finnas där. Jag […]

  6. Please and Thank You: A Given in Leadership | Pure Team Global says:
    May 30, 2013 at 3:20 am

    […] like breathing and should never have to be thought about when it comes to being a leader. Out of his list of 10 fundamental acts of leadership, here are my […]

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