Seven Pillars of Leadership (Part 1)

No leader ever sets out to finish his race poorly.  We all want

to hear, “Well Done” at the end of our race. What are the traits,

the attributes, of leaders who “Finish Well?”  

Here is Ron Edmondson with seven of them.

I love observing leaders. I consistently strive to be a better 

leader and the best way I know to improve is to watch and learn 

from other leaders. Whether they have more experience, have 

learned things I haven’t learned or they reinforce principles of 

leadership I know – I improve observing other leaders. 

In my observations, there are some common traits among the 

most successful, long-term leaders. It can be easy to lead for a

 season, or a special project, or even for a decade or more. But,

 leaders who last and are successful for multiple seasons, 

multiple decades – often in different environments or organizations,

 with different people – these leaders are rare. And, they have 

shared characteristics. 

I call these traits the pillars of leadership. What is a pillar? 

1.  A firm upright support for a superstructure
2.  A supporting, integral, or upstanding member or part

In my opinion, I believe you’ll find these pillars among all truly 

great leaders.

Here are 7 pillars of long-term, successful leaders I’ve observed:

1.  Vision

Great leaders believe in something bigger than today. They are going

 somewhere. And, they believe it’s a worthy enough vision they are 

willing to help others get there. They have a vocabulary around their 

vision. They know how to engage and rally people around the vision. 

2.  Commitment

Great leaders remain rock-solid in their dedication to their cause and

 their people. They stick to what they feel in their heart God has called

 them to do. They are unwavered by public opinion or the “mood of the day”.  

They aren’t only present in the good seasons, but weather the storms 

of time. Their faith keeps them grounded.