Over many decades, writers have produced many lists of what makes a good leader. Most of these lists focus on personality traits and attributes.  For leaders who wish to develop the quality of their leadership, a much more fundamental step is first required: an exploration of their underlying belief systems with which they approach the task of business leadership.

This list compiled by Geoffrey James and printed in Inc. is one of the most useful set of beliefs or values that the best business leaders use for navigation (based on research he conducted with the most successful CEOs):

  1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield
  2. A company is a community, not a machine
  3. Management is service, not control
  4. My employees are my peers not my children
  5. Motivation comes from vision not from fear
  6. Change equals growth not pain
  7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation
  8. Work should be fun not mere toil

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1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.

Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of “troops” to order about, demonize competitors as “enemies,” and treat customers as “territory” to be conquered.


2. A company is a community, not a machine.

Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by “pulling levers” and “steering the ship.”


3. Management is service, not control.

Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they’re told. They’re hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the “wait and see what the boss says” mentality.


4. My employees are my peers, not my children.

Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can’t be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.


5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.

Average bosses see fear–of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege–as a crucial way to motivate people.  As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.

Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it.  As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.

Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change … until it’s too late.

Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don’t value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.



8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.



Written by Meena Thuraisingham
Director and Principal, Talent Invest

