My classmates and I recently wrapped up Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership Development. HBS advertises this program as their alternative to an Executive MBA and upon completing the course requirements, students receive alumni status. Throughout my cohort, there was 176 students from around the world. With that cultural diversity came many different beliefs, perspectives, and leadership styles.

As someone who currently owns and operates a company that focuses on leadership development training and implementation I was excited to gain a perspective from one of the world’s most recognized institutions. On the first day of classes, the program chair, Professor Josh Margolis said something that stuck with me. He said, “Throughout the coming months, if you believe you will gain perspective and knowledge OR if you believe that you don’t have much more to learn- you are right. So, I encourage you to embrace all this program has to offer in order to grow and learn with one another.”

I’ve had the fortunate opportunity to travel to 32 countries throughout my life but never have I been in one concentrated area with industry leaders from 32+ countries at the same time for the same reason. Until now. These leaders taught me that despite being from different countries and facing different adversities, there are a few things that we all share. We share an eagerness to make our communities better, to make our peers better, and to make ourselves better. If you find yourself in a room where you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room. Harvard Business School is a place where you are always in the right room.

Here are 5 key character traits I have identified during my time at Harvard Business School that are absolutely necessary to be a great leader:

1) Self-Awareness

You never have all of the answers even when you may believe you do. Are you aware of how you perceive yourself as a leader compared to how your teammates view you as a leader? This is an ongoing challenge and it will never be perfected but the most important thing is that you are conscious about both of these different perceptions on a daily basis.

2) Authenticity

So many things come with authenticity but what primarily comes to mind with me is having integrity and being genuine.

Integrity stems from the ability to be honest when promising to deliver on timelines, commitments, and promises to your team. If you do what you say in the time you say it…you instill confidence in your teammates around you because they know they can depend on you to do exactly what you’re saying you will do.

Being genuine is literally that. You cannot replicate it or fake it. You actually have to believe in being genuine. Being genuine with your vision, your actions, your words, your habits, and your time.

3) Wisdom

It is gained through your experience and through the experience of learning from others. Have you ever stopped to say to yourself, “if I only knew that when I was 20 years old…?” Of course you have, you’re human. But what if you could reverse this question and ask yourself, “What would I say about the action I am making today when I am 20 years older?” Begin to implement these thought practices in your life and I believe you are on your way to being becoming wiser.

4) Humility

There is always room for improvement. Many would say when you become a Navy SEAL, Astronaut, or Harvard Professor, you have achieved perfection and there isn’t much room to become better. Those three examples of professions, would all say the same thing to you- wrong. I was speaking to one of the professor’s on how they continue to improve as faculty. She shared with me that they track the statistics and performance of every lecture they delivered to measure where their natural biases occur. For example, Harvard Professors receive the data on their engagement percentages when calling on students from different sections in the classroom. Then they analyze that data to see why they have natural biases. Is it because they are right handed, left handed, or where their eyes first glance when turning back towards the students after writing something on the chalk board? The smallest details are considered so their performance and standards can continue to become better. I share this because even at the highest levels, there is still room for opportunity and growth.

5) Team Player

As a leader, you need to understand the beauty in your position is that you have your entire team or organization as your resource. Use them, hear them, empower them, and exchange ideas with them. Never sacrifice quality for quantity on your team and you find yourself having an entire team of performers.

Here are some pieces of priceless wisdom I learned from Harvard Business School Faculty:

“Capabilities today can be a disability tomorrow”
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast…everyday”
“The best code of ethics is the simplest. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal.”
“If you can’t hide it, feature it.”
“If you’re on a board of directors- do your job and due diligence, don’t just collect a check.”
“Identifying the problem can be a solo sport, but solving the problem is a team sport.”
“The only real mistake is the one you make twice.”

Many people have heard the saying, “you are who you surround yourself with.” I constantly strive to be surrounded by people who demonstrate the leadership characteristics I listed above. What I’ve found is that the leaders who embody those characteristics are always successful. Successful at work, successful in marriage, and successful at life. It is not a coincidence. Looking for an edge in life? The secret recipe lies in self-awareness, authenticity, wisdom, humility, and being a team player. Now go win.

Authored By: Jacob Werksman, CEO