Last week we discussed the difference between a manager and a leader. A good leader needs many different skills, all of which are important.
The single most important leadership skill is humility. Without humility, it is nearly impossible to learn from others. Unless you are humble enough to learn from others, how can you develop any of your leadership skills?
According to the book βThe Dichotomy of Leadershipβ by Jocko Willink and Leif Babib, there is one other extremely important leadership skill. That skill is balance. A good sense of balance is especially important when it comes to the other leadership skills.
Confidence is an important leadership skill, as long as it is balanced. Imagine a leader who is extremely confident and thinks they know more than everyone else. Their ego gets in the way and they make decisions without input from others. As a result, they probably will not make the best decisions. Conversely, if a leader is not confident enough, they will shy away from risk and may be afraid to make tough decisions. Their confidence level needs to be balanced.
Consider another leadership skill like creativity. Creativity is especially useful when problems need to be solved. A leader who is too creative may develop solutions that are not practical. A leader who is not creative enough will have a difficult time solving complex problems. With a balanced sense of creativity, the leader can identify practical solutions that will work.
Responsibility is another leadership skill that requires balance. Leaders with an extremely strong sense of responsibility will take the blame for everything and may not hold other people accountable. Conversely, if a leader lacks any sense of responsibility, they will constantly blame everyone else for their mistakes.
Most of the other leadership skills require some level of balance. Because a good sense of balance affects so many leadership qualities, it is an extremely important skill to develop.
