Written by Adam Horth

Some concepts or advice have a shelf life; they are relevant only for a moment in time. Others, however, stand the test of time. Recently, I was reorganising my bookshelves at home and pulled out Napoleon Hill’s book, 'Think and Grow Rich.'

Opening the book, I was greeted by my orange highlights from two decades ago when I first read the book. Some of the text is outdated and needs to be adapted for today’s times. Yet a section that stood out was his Eleven Major Attributes of Leadership.

Whether you run an agency and have a team to lead, or you are a salesperson with clients to lead, you are a leader. And let’s not forget that we always must lead ourselves.

As with all ideals, you might find yourself lacking in some of these leadership attributes, but, as the saying goes: “Leadership is not learned in a day, but it can be learned daily.”

If you have the desire to be a great leader, you can practice the Eleven Major Attributes of Leadership and improve not only your own life but the lives of those you lead.

1.  Unwavering Courage

Sometimes tough decisions have to be made and it takes courage to make them. It takes courage to follow through on those decisions. It takes courage to visit a seller and talk about adjusting the asking price. It takes courage to set goals and to commit to the actions necessary to achieve them. It takes courage to dismiss poor performers.

2. Self Control 

People who cannot control themselves can never hope to control others. Self Control is discipline. Most people lack discipline in some areas of their life. These are the areas that are most often out of control.

3. A Keen Sense of Justice

A commitment to doing what is right. This means all the time, no matter how hard that may be.

4. Definiteness of Decision

This is a person who makes a decision and sticks with it. People who waver in decisions show that they are unsure of themselves. People will not follow such leaders for long.

5. Definiteness of Plans

A person who plans their work and works those plans. Leaders who use guesswork without practical, definite plans are like a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later, they hit the rocks.

6. The Habit of Doing More Than Paid

One of the penalties of leadership is the willingness to do more than they require of their followers. As the saying goes, if you want to be paid more for what you are doing, do more for what you are being paid now.

7. A Pleasing Personality

No slovenly person can become a successful leader. Leadership calls for respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not grade high in all the factors of a pleasing personality.

8. Sympathy and Understanding

The successful leader must be in sympathy with his or her followers. Leaders must understand their followers and their problems.

9. Mastery of Detail

Mind the details. Small things matter. Clients notice the dirty footpath outside the office and finger marks on the window.

10. Willingness to Assume Full Responsibility

The successful leader must be willing to assume responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of his or her followers. Leaders who attempt to shift this responsibility will not remain the leader. If a follower shows himself to be incompetent, the leader must consider this a personal failure.

11. Co-operation

The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for power, and power calls for cooperation.

Napoleon Hill goes on to say that there are two forms of leadership. The first, and by far the most effective, is leadership by consent of the followers. The second is leadership by force, without the consent and sympathy of followers. Force, Hill says, cannot endure.

“The relationship of employer and employee, or of leader and follower, in the future will be one of mutual co-operation, based on an equitable division of the profits of the business. In the future, the relationship of employer and employee will be more like a partnership than it has been in the past”.

In the Smartre Management seminar, we show you the pathway to this style of Leadership. Our leadership strategy consists of three stages – The Micromanagement Stage, The Leadership Stage and The Mentorship Stage.

When should a person go from one to the other? When should someone go back to a micromanagement period? Does everyone make it to the Mentorship stage? These questions and more are covered in detail in the Element of Team.

If you’re interested in learning more about the management seminar, reach out to Chris from our team. The next Smartre Management Seminar is being held in Melbourne, July 21st – 24th

Lastly, if you haven’t read Think and Grow Rich for some time, I recommend giving it a re-read. It contains great lessons worth revisiting.