So what makes a good leader?  In South Africa, this is on many people’s minds.

In my years of gathering feedback from hundreds of people we train from all walks of life, here are some characteristics we have collected.

Could it be the “style”, the “generation”, “wisdom”, “experience”, “academic knowledge”, “skills in handling people”?  I believe it could be all those things.  In addition, a person who has a track record of integrity, doing the right thing, goal orientated and great interpersonal skills.

Someone who is passionate about life, open-minded, understanding one’s self and be prepared to listen and of course, be a great role model. 

In such a competitive world, especially in organisations today – its imperative we understand our customer and what they want.   By customer – I mean those who buy our products and services and our internal staff.

As one great Entrepreneur said “if your staff feel valued and happy, they will keep your customers happy”

 Having an understanding of human behaviour and why people act in a certain manner will assist greatly in the leadership journey by minimizing misunderstandings and conflict – and increasing better and appropriate problem solving and decisions.

Developing and learning is a never ending story, but imperative if we want to stay relevant and passionate about everything we do!