I recently got hooked on Twitter… I twit (oops tweet!) occasionally and try to follow what is happening in the real time drama of our society.

And so, a wonderful world of new connections opened for me. I can quickly get a snapshot of what is on the mind of leaders, am sometimes intrigued and learning, and often surprised on how little there is on the mind of a “leader”…

Bombarded by multiple lists, blogs and articles about great leadership, we can get dizzy with the multitude of models and quasi creative thought leadership, and so I revert back to the tried and tested research conducted by the Management Research Group (MRG).

MRG look at the distinguishing factors of effective leadership in different geographies, industries, levels, ages, genders etc. Their research focusing on the distinguishing factors of senior leaders, in various industries who are in comparable positions globally, has provided some fantastic conclusions.

According to MRG there are four leadership practices in for-profit organizations globally that help leaders make a strong impact and become and stay successful:

1) The ability to take an analytical approach to problem solving and anticipate the long and broad-term implications of their decisions and actions; demonstrating foresight: BEING STRATEGIC

2)  The ability to win others over to one’s own viewpoint by using language eloquently and being able to clearly articulate advantages and benefits of one’s position: BEING PERSUASIVE

3) The ability to create an environment where people do their best, challenging self and others
to perform at their highest levels: BEING BOTTOM LINE ORIENTED

4)  The ability to tap into the intelligence of stakeholders, consult broadly, listen, be humble enough to ask for help from others: BEING INCLUSIVE

So following this post will be a series of blogs around these practices – watch for them in the near future — I hope they will prove to be of value to us all!