According to this article in Inc., consistency is the most important leadership quality.
Surely, a consistent personality is desirable in a leader, but it may not be the most important attribute.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines leadership as, “capacity to lead,” “the act or an instance of leading.”
Scores of personality traits contribute to leadership ability including, but not limited to the following: self-confidence, initiative, reasoning ability, persuasiveness, enthusiasm, determination, objectivity, and decision-making ability.
Although it’s difficult to report to an unpredictable and inconsistent individual, the aforementioned traits are just as vital as consistency.
As much as the characteristics listed above make a true leader, other attributes detract from leadership ability, including but not limited to, the following: tendency to manipulate, domineering behavior, vanity, resentment, lack of emotional balance, narrow-mindedness, dishonesty, perfectionism, and lack of discretion.
All of the personality traits listed above, particularly in extreme cases, are detectable in my non-traditional security investigations.
Certainly, consistency is a key leadership trait, yet not the only one, and leadership ability is wrecked by many red flag personality characteristics.
Copyright © 2016 Scott Petullo