Since then I’ve worked with highly successful leaders who are unimaginative, boring and stale. I’ve worked with others who don’t think strategically, can’t comprehend operations or don’t have a technical bone in their body.

Of course we all have different strengths, but I have yet to meet a truly outstanding leader who was an interpersonal disaster. If there are any stylistic demands of a leader in the global age, it is openness. Leaders who haven’t figured this out possess a clear liability.

Some leaders are too withdrawn for people to risk with them. Others live on the dark side of charisma, leading with a false sense of openness that repels people for different reasons. In each case, lack of openness poses a challenge to effective leadership.

Different leadership styles can be effective, provided the leader remains fundamentally open to people, their views, feelings and aspirations. This stylistic variable is critical because the global age demands collaboration in order to maintain competitive advantage.

Leading is not a solo act. It’s not a function of individual brilliance. Nor is it skillful manipulation or cunning. The enduring truth is that change leadership is mostly about people. What an avalanche of data confirms is that an open, collaborative, transparent and approachable style is far more successful in leading people than any species of a closed, rigid, paternalistic or authoritarian approach. 

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            If you're interested in learning more about intent and the inherent tension between stewardship and self-interest, take a look at my latest book: The Leadership Test: Will You Pass? or visit me at TRClarkPartners.com.