Five Characteristics A Successful

Leadership should Possess

As the 87^th National President, I have been asked recently, what is “A New Brand of Leadership,” and what major changes are you going to make that will spin this organization around?

From my experiences as a Physical Therapist and working with many people, I have come to the fact that change doesn’t happen in big spurts, as a matter of fact, the changes that make a real, lasting impression on functional movement and in organizations, come in small increments. By focusing on what is important and working at it as hard as possible, by being consistent with the message and actions, success is lurking around the corner. Leaders must set and live the principles and values of their organization and must possess certain characteristics that set them above and beyond the average person. Leader attributes necessary for this philosophy, must be:

Attitude. This is a leader’s state of mind and feeling with regard to some matter, a disposition. In other words, the way they think determines the way they feel which determines the way they act.

Willingness. This is the mental faculty by which a leader deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action; volition. Also, it is the power to arrive at a leader’s decision and to act upon it independently in spite of opposition.

Patience. Many times people rush to get something done and in the end, it becomes a complete and utter mess, slowing the pace of production. If a leader merely slows the pace down, less mistakes are made and progress becomes faster. There are times that, if a leader would slow down and explains the process, the story, people will catch on quicker, thus becoming more efficient.

Environmentalist. A leader must be aware of their surroundings and allow for optimum conditions in which their people can learn; create an environment for learning while staying out of the people’s way, maximizing the chance for intrinsic learning to take place – an environment where adrenaline is down and there is an aura of peace.

Inspirational. A leader must have the ability to stimulate the mind and/or emotions of people to a high level of feeling or activity. People will produce at a higher level if they have the right inspiration to accomplish the results.

No matter what kind of organization a leader is in, they will have a personal measure of control over who they are and what sort of character they embody. “A New Brand of Leadership” is quite simple, it will have a “Whatever It Takes Attitude,” it will be “Willing” to stand alone to strong oppositions, it will be “Patient” and methodical, it will create an “Environment” for success, and it will “Inspire” everyone to be the best that they can be. As leaders of tomorrow, the style of leadership that we pursue will be the most important choice that is made. Let’s work together to build great organizations.