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The 5 Characteristics Of Great Leaders Being flexible. Being able to communicate. Having courage to stand alone, the tenacity to not succumb to pressure, and the patience to keep fighting until you win the day. Humility and presence. Acknowledge and respect all of your employees. Being responsible. Accept blame and give credit when due.    What are some other characteristics that make a great leader? [Image: Flickr user Suvodeb Banerjee][Post: M.Cecelia Bittner]

The 5 Characteristics Of Great Leaders

  1. Being flexible.
  2. Being able to communicate.
  3. Having courage to stand alone, the tenacity to not succumb to pressure, and the patience to keep fighting until you win the day.
  4. Humility and presence. Acknowledge and respect all of your employees.
  5. Being responsible. Accept blame and give credit when due.   

What are some other characteristics that make a great leader?

[Image: Flickr user Suvodeb Banerjee][Post: M.Cecelia Bittner]

Confession: I expected the presentation by retired four-star general Stanley McChrystal to be the least interesting from Fast Company’s recent Innovation Uncensored event. It turned out to be my favorite, full of surprising knowledge that I’m still processing. 

Design, Teamwork, and Leadership Lessons From Gen. Stanley McChrystal

Here’s the video playback->

Although the book is geared towards the activist community, many of the tactics and ideologies discussed lend themselves to startups—and even the corporate world—quite easily. At various points in the book, “creative disruptions,” publicity stunts, mediajacking, balancing art and message, and the importancestaying on message, are all discussed. Some sections of the book, such as “Putting Your Target In A Decision Dilemma,” and “Simple Rules Can Have Grand Results,” even fit in perfectly with the corpus of business leadership literature. Beautiful Trouble: What Activists Can Teach Us About Leadership (And Crowdfunding)

Although the book is geared towards the activist community, many of the tactics and ideologies discussed lend themselves to startups—and even the corporate world—quite easily. At various points in the book, “creative disruptions,” publicity stunts, mediajacking, balancing art and message, and the importancestaying on message, are all discussed. Some sections of the book, such as “Putting Your Target In A Decision Dilemma,” and “Simple Rules Can Have Grand Results,” even fit in perfectly with the corpus of business leadership literature.

Beautiful Trouble: What Activists Can Teach Us About Leadership (And Crowdfunding)

Leading The Leaderless: The movement aimed at calling attention to injustice in the American financial system prides itself on having no central leadership, and it’s been criticized for having no central message. Here’s how it’s working anyway—and changing the way we think of protests.

Leading The Leaderless: The movement aimed at calling attention to injustice in the American financial system prides itself on having no central leadership, and it’s been criticized for having no central message. Here’s how it’s working anyway—and changing the way we think of protests.