Character lasts forever

There is currently a strong emphasis on leadership in not only the business world, but non-profit organisations, government departments, churches and religious organisations as well. Such institutions all espouse the attributes that quality leadership provides and I think the INSEAD selection process is very rigorous with the character of candidates under the microscope.

Underpinning the foundations of personal leadership is the character of the team, the function of the leader is to instill within the team the values that the team operates under. In many respects, management is out - this is the process to achieve results. Leadership is all about bringing out the best qualities of the group as the leader; as such, the character of the leader drives the success of the team.

I am a strong believer in empowering team members as the role of the leader is to produce more leaders built through a formal succession plan. For me, leadership is all about producing high performance teams. When the team is eventually disbanded, the legacy of the project is the character forged through mutual experiences.