The debate on what makes for great leadership will run and run. But sometimes the best people to ask are those who are in the fray. One much referred to quote on the challenges of leadership comes from US President Theodore Roosevelt.
It is still highly relevant today (though we would make allowances for the fact that he referred exclusively to men; we would, of course, see this as relevant to both genders!).
Speaking at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1910, when the USA's Great Power status was on the rise he said:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
So, we asked you - MBAs and alumni - to tell us what you thought were the top qualities of good leadership. We got direct and to the point comments from some of you. For instance, Vladimir Paraschiv, studying in Germany, said the qualities were vision, integrity and efficiency. Kamal Manglani, a program manager at Tata Consultancy Services called for patience, ethics and the ability to be a motivator and coach. We also got longer and more detailed considerations from others.
All the many fascinating replies are posted at the end of this blog. We will set new questions for you to ponder on in the new year and look forward to getting more insights from all of you.
In the meantime, we hope you have a fantastic holiday break and come back refreshed for the exciting challenges ahead.
It is still highly relevant today (though we would make allowances for the fact that he referred exclusively to men; we would, of course, see this as relevant to both genders!).
Speaking at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1910, when the USA's Great Power status was on the rise he said:
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
So, we asked you - MBAs and alumni - to tell us what you thought were the top qualities of good leadership. We got direct and to the point comments from some of you. For instance, Vladimir Paraschiv, studying in Germany, said the qualities were vision, integrity and efficiency. Kamal Manglani, a program manager at Tata Consultancy Services called for patience, ethics and the ability to be a motivator and coach. We also got longer and more detailed considerations from others.
All the many fascinating replies are posted at the end of this blog. We will set new questions for you to ponder on in the new year and look forward to getting more insights from all of you.
In the meantime, we hope you have a fantastic holiday break and come back refreshed for the exciting challenges ahead.
