A great leader takes the time to get to know and listen to those for whom they are responsible. This is more than having an open door policy. Great leaders circulate through their team several times a day encouraging, clarifying, and affirming them.

Great leaders are also wonderful listeners. Says Richard Branson, "Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line."

Leaders Establish the Organizational Culture

Like a parent, great leaders lead by example and establish the organization’s culture. This includes standards for treating coworkers, appropriate language, elimination of gossip, putting internal and external customers first, a servant mentality, and appropriate attitudes. Dee Hock, Founder of Visa believes that if the leader does not get it right, no one else on their team will either. Says Hock, “If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself—your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, and conduct.”

The Task of Leadership

Some of us have “leader” titles like Chairman, President, CEO, Pastor, department head or project leader.  Regardless of our station, whether a manager leading a department, a mother leading her children, or the President of the United States, we all lead something.  Everyone can aspire to being a better leader, myself included.  A major part of our job is to bring out the best in those we work and live with.  Novelist, historian and politician, John Buchan writes, "The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there."