As someone who has extensive leadership experience and coached and mentored hundreds of others on the subject, a question I get asked all the time is “what is the most important leadership attribute or tool?”  The answer is there isn’t one.  Asking that is like asking a carpenter or mechanic what their favorite tool is and they will probably reply that it depends on the need.  If all you have is a hammer, you’ll treat everything like a nail with disastrous results.

The most successful and effective leaders are those who have many tools in their leadership toolbox and know which ones are most appropriate in a given circumstance.  As the late great martial artist Bruce Lee said, “Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

The best leaders are like water, they adapt and flow, mixing and applying leadership tools and concepts in ways that align to them and the situation.  People are messy and complicated because life can be messy and complicated.  Leadership is about helping people work through the messiness and complications, so there can’t be a “best” tool or attribute without understanding person and the circumstances.  This is why there are literally thousands of books and articles on leadership.

What’s a person to do then?  Fill your toolbox by reading and working with the best leadership coaches.  Put your leadership tools into practice and observe the results.  Take time to reflect on your experiences and what you can do differently to improve outcomes.  Lather, rinse, repeat. There’s no shortcut but to put in the work and to dedicate yourself to the never-ending pursuit of leadership mastery.  Believe me when I tell you it’s rewarding, both for you and your teams.

Authored By: Jason Lamb, Managing Director