The Origin of Leadership Traits

In the last couple of years, I have been reflecting on how oneself can flourish as a strong leader. Having been in the position of leading team for several years now, I’ve consumed plenty of sources to help me go deeper into the space of leadership: what it means to be one and the implications that follow.

Two books, Think Again and Leaders Eat Last, are two among the few. The truth is I don’t read book much and I don’t feel bad about it.
It’s not a suggestion rather a notion I instil within.

Clearly enough, I am writing this mostly based on experience rather than insights or values compilation from books or certain figures. The more I experience ups and downs in this leadership space, the more I realise there is one core attribute to base the others.

When we are asked about leadership traits, anyone can definitely guess and expect the answer. Strong communication, visionary, critical thinking, open minded, self awareness, so and so. They are there in any productivity book. From the international best seller authored by the likes of Adam Grant to the unknown one at the bottom row on Productivity section of a bookstore.

It’s certainly difficult to pick which three, for example, are the most important leadership traits. Everyone has their own perception and nothing is wrong with that. However, when you start becoming a leader, there is this one attribute that you can explicitly connect with any other traits. From every perspective, you can see how it wires with one another. Always.

You may have guessed that core attribute but you are probably wrong. It starts with an each and ends with a why. Joke aside, the trait does surround itself by good causes. A strong why on each edge.

Get it? Right.

It’s humility.

What is humility exactly? From dictionary, it is simple defined as freedom from pride or arrogance. What does that freedom to do with leadership? Well, a lot.

Let’s take a look of simple illustration above where you can see various leadership traits being traced back to its origin. Humility. How so though? Allow me to put more clarity by describing, again based on experiences, 6 principles of humility.

Here we go.

Thank you for having read this far. I do appreciate it and am hopeful that I have been clear with my message.

Let me end this piece with a strong wisdom for an under-spoken hero in Indonesia’s history. The man is a father of Indonesian education but I bet few have learned from his charismatic profile. Including myself.

When we talk about humility as an origin of any leadership traits, Ki Hajar Dewantara summarised how a leader is living humility at its finest form.

These days, it’s never been easier for me to answer a question of how to nurture a strong leadership.

Yes. Now, you know the answer too.

Cheers.

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