John Maxwell recently wrote an article "Why the Best Leaders Are the Best Leaders" (Click here for the full article).  Here is my summary as to what Maxwell ascertains makes the best leaders the best:

The Best Leaders Give Their Best to Their People By...

1. Growing. To give people your best, you have to elevate your own leadership capacity. Consider the metaphor of walking up a narrow staircase.  You can only go as fast as the person in front of you. When leaders stop growing, they impede those who follow them.

2. Serving. "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." -Albert Einstein. Serving others is an attitude. All leaders serve, just make sure you're not only serving yourself.

3. Modeling. The best leaders embody their values. Modeling leaders have something to show.

The Best Leaders Get the Best from Their People by...

1. Listening. They listen slow and actively, not passively. The smartest leaders realize the limitations of their wisdom, and they listen to their people in order to capture invaluable insights.

2. Relating. Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. In other words, a leader has to be open by disclosing his or her identity by sharing personal stories and owning up to professional weaknesses.

3. Teaching. The best leaders have an infectious thirst for knowledge, and they take pride in cultivating knowledge of their craft and awareness of their industry.

4. Developing. The best leaders understand the difference between training people for tasks and developing people to be better leaders.

5. Motivating. Sustained motivation comes by creating the right environment for your people and by doing the right things consistently to nurture them.

So in grading yourself as above the average leader, how did you do?

rb