When identifying an up and coming leader we look for someone who has lead by example. Someone who is not self serving but a servant leader, i.e., wihtout ego and willing to go above & beyond and to do whatever it takes to assist the team in achieving successful outcomes.

The qualities I look for in a leader are: 1) Someone with an actual vision and plan to accomplish the goals. 2) Someone who is not afraid of making mistakes to bring the vision to fruition. 3) Someone who is not too proud to lead by example by pitching in and getting involved.... From my experience, when someone possesses these traits, they make for a quality leader in an organization.

This has been a topic we are discussing at our company. Many people can look like great leaders when things are going well. It is a true leader that can have vision and strategically plan for the future while encouraging and motivating their employees to higher levels of productivity when business is not thriving as in past years. Leaders must demonstrate behaviors they expect others to follow.

A leader to me obviously takes charge and thinks before speaking. He/She doesn't have to have a second opinion in a decision. I look for confidence. You can't be a leader without it.

Courage. We expect the most from our employees at all levels. We expect them to have the courage to take risks, be bold on behalf of our clients, own their actions and look fearlessly to the future and the possibilities it holds.

To me, a leader is someone who gets their team to do what they want them to do because the team wants to do it. A leader has a clear vision and conveys the importance of every individual in achieving their goals. When the goals of the team are accomplished, a leader is the person in the background who allows their team to accept all the praise and compliments they have earned.

The leader I am looking for has a constant drive/desire to learn new things and to advance the knowledge of those around them. This trait, when combined with the essential ability to work collaboratively with others, is a powerful force that will drive business evolution, innovation and success.

Its always a balancing act for a leader. A true leader knows how to teach and guide people without micromanaging each individual task. There is a time and place for learning excercises, and a leader knows when to make an employee's question a "learning excercise" and when to simply answer the question so that productivity and efficency are not lost. Most importantly, a leader must recoginze each individuals talents and skills and capitalize on those, so that the office and the employee are successful.

A real leader is one is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. A real leader does not feel that any task is beneath him. A real leader looks out for his staff and is honest and fair.

What we mainly look for is flexibility. With so many generations in the workforce, flexibility is key.

I look for a leadership attitude. That includes a level of self confidence, a level of the ability to learn the challenges of the jobs they will be
managing, and the ability to know what's important to the people in his/her department.

I believe the most inportant quality is the ability to influence others. When identifying a good manager within your current staff it is important to identfy the person that everyone flocks to; that seems to always have the answer and people/coworkers seem to trust; this is the person that knows their key to success does not lie with what they know but with who they can surround themselves with that bring the knowledge and expertise to them. A people magnet if you will.

A leader is someone who isn't afraid to take ownership and responsibility to address issues and solve problems. They work with the people to come up with better ways to do things and follow through to ensure it gets done, not just because of a quick fix, but to resolve the root cause so the problem doesn't keep reoccuring. They also treat people fairly and consistenty and hold others accountable - by being firm yet friendly. People watch all leaders and they have to know they can trust the leader by their actions.

The ability to get followers.

Leaders attract followers.

I look for those who others will work with and for. People instinctively know who is a leader or future leader and their actions point the way.

Great question.

Mike

I look for someone that can speak openly about their past mistakes. Assuming that they have clearly learned from them, this is a great indicator that they know how much they have grown in their field. Additionally, they are more apt to allow their employees to go down paths that may lead to "mistakes" from which they can learn.

Attitude is very important to us because if you don't have the right mindset you can not lead by example. Also someone who believes in accountability for themselves as well as those they supervise with the ability to communicate clearly to those around them. If your staff doesn't know the rules how can they play the game?

A strong leader has the ability to look at long term goals and deal with daily tasks that will take a company to goal completion. She should be an effective communicator that sees the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and can leverage each employee's strengths to postively impact the company.

Ability to understand a company's value chain (cause & effect relationships)and the ability to think to the next step/steps. There are many who are competent in one area but in order to effectively lead, you need to understand how your company drives value from beginning to end. Then you need to be able to take an idea/problem/opportunity and move it to successful resolution. The trait that is most important to do achieve this? The ability to listen.

In a leader we look for: Integrity, Accountability, Creativity & Innovation above all else.

The quality or characteristics, above all else – when I look for an organization’s next leader is someone that is mission driven, compassionate, consistant and outcome oriented. Because if they do not possess these qualities and characteristics, they will not be able to create the productive environment or get the buy-in and results needed from constituents, clients or staff.

Here is what to look for a leader for any organization:

1. Not a whiner; complainer; blamer; always threatening to fire you; tailoring belief systems to suit the exigencies of a situation; keeps you guessing till the last moment or a guy who creates a mess by taking a bad decision and then leaves it for others to clean it up.

2. A person who is fair beyond doubt.

3. Effective communicator: Some one who can define a goal with great clarity and then turn it in to an inspiring vision.

4. Leads from the front and is able to imbue others with clarity of purpose.

5. Ability to leverage the individual strengths of the team while keeping their weaknesses in check.

6. Always accessible to the team, trustworthy and empathetic.

7. Lastly, the ability to standby the team members in times of crisis and be generous to praise when milestones are reached. Has the courage to take ownership for failures and attribute the successes to the team.

A+ performer in all jobs and education, demonstrating respect for good work at all levels, demonstrated effective team member and leader. Creative and insightful. and able to initiate a brilliant strategy and then effectively delegate and move on. I work with young growing companies and look for experience, skills and values that are in alignment with the particular culture of a start up company.

I believe that the best way to identify a leader is by measuring the knowledge he has of the business. He/She is a good communicator and bases his opinion on facts not on assumptions. In addition, a leader has the capacity to provide direction, leads by example and is results oriented. He/She is always open to change and has a creative mind to increase production while incorporating motivational factors.

Leaders are good listeners. They listen to their team, they listen to their clients and they listen to themselves. After they have listened, they take action. They also celebrate successes, big and small, in they way the team or individual likes to be recognized, not the way the leader him or her self likes to be recognized.

I most important thing that I find in these tough times is the ability to relate/understand the employees and listen to their needs. Also, someone who is not be afraid to get your hands dirty, so to speak, and stress a team environment.

someone who is not afraid to get down in the trenches and work with the people he/she wants to lead. Someone who has the ability to gain respect of their followers.

I feel a leader entails being a stable individual who is able to listen to opinions and suggestions of others, able to make and orchestrate change and productivity in a positive manner and who has enough flexability to know that things can be tweaked and revamped to correct situations that stray away from agendas, and also someone who can be assertive.

I hire people for a seasonal job and within in a few hours of work I can see who are leaders. They take initiative to do things without being told, eager to do anything you ask without complaining or hem-hawing. Notice things are wrong or need to be fixed and DO IT.

Those are jsut a few things

Creativity - Communicating - Leadership - Passion and a
" CAN DO " Attitude shows true Leadership Quality.

Leadership is the ability to steer the ship during good and bad times. To make unpopular decisions that are right for the business in good and bad economies. To keep people to motivated to want more when business is good or bad.

A good leader is able to get your organization to do things that it can't do on its own. Any leader can identify the problem and maybe even the solution, but a good leader knows how to make it happen.

There are so many attributes that will determine leadership potential, and sadly, so many people lack so many of them.

Innovation to think beyond and outside the box, to incorporate the big picture, the company's goals and path are paramount.

Effective and useful skills are a must. I need employees who can utilize well not only Excel, but be able to at least open a document in Word and write a letter.

The optimum person will not only learn our software to utilize it for their use, but when time permits, explore the software to see and understand other modules, to be a valuable user who can be relied upon to input data well, understand how errors affect all areas, learn how to spot and correct mistakes and be able to assist other users.

A good leader communicates on a professional level, emails and letters are well written, checked for grammar and spelling errors, and texting and other shortcuts not used. You are a reflection of your boss and your company, you are to make them look good while making yourself invaluable.

Learn new skills, learn everyone's name that you come in contact with, from the janitor to the president. Be able to easily converse at least a little with anyone at any level.

Be a team player, help out. The idea that "that's not MY job" shows that you are just a cog in the system, not a leader to help out.

Know that as a leader you are to set an example, be able to step into any of your employees roles to assist, train and guide them. A good leader always strives to improve those below him or her, to make their employees' better at their job.

A good leader knows what is going on in their company, with their staff, and in their industry.

The ability to pay attention, be open to new ideas, share credit and be competent in their job will endear them to all levels of people in the company. Building bridges, how cliched, rather than walls makes for a leader people want to work for and with.

A good leader doesn't have temper tantrums at work, dress or act like they are bar-hopping and keeps the drugs and booze out of the workplace.

A good leader is a grown up.

A leader is someone who has honesty and integrity as the foundation of who they are. Someone who is genuine and who has worked their way up the ladder. Forget about thinking "outside the box", demonstrate that you can build your own box and always do everything of those you are in charge of leading.

"What quality or characteristic do you look for – above all else – when looking for your organization’s next leader, and why?”
I look for someone who has potential. If it is a person's first "real" job then I want someone who might have been a leader of some sort in high school or college. If they have some job experience, then I want to see progression or a promotion. The real key is listening during the interview. If someone speaks with passion and talks about the success of a team or a project; then they "get it". They know it is not just about them but the overall success. Another key is to ask them what they have most proud of doing. They will usually talk about their achievements or how they helped someone; again listen for the passion. I have never found a leader who was not passionate and I think that is the real key - to have the passion to be a leader.

Leaders have to show a core ability to:

1.) Have a core set of values that represents and supports the mission of the group / organization / team they are leading.
2.) The ability to generate and maintain energy to achieve, through team work and having people believe and follow what is the values and goals of the group / organization / team. Leaders must have engaged followers or all you lead is a party of one.
3.) The ability to adapt and achieve the missions, goals and commitments of the team, while not comprimising on the core values and holding ones self as accountable if not more accountable than any member of the team that follows you.
4.) Vision, insight, wisdom, intelligence and all the other stuff means nothing as a leader if you cannot do the first three things or again great concepts with no one following, leading the party of one.

A good leader can be identified by talking to his or her followers. A leader will have dedicated and enthusiastic people who want to follow, and know how to follow because their expectations are clear, they have tasted the sweetness of their successes, and they have been encouraged to learn from their mistakes.

At our company a leader is one who is willing to do another's tasks in a pinch, even if it is "not their job". We all have to work with less these days, and people willing to pitch in where necessary set a positive example to others both above and below them in the organization.

Integrity is the most important attribute. Leaders must have vision, passion, commitment, charisma, great communications skills, and on through the list. But without being true to their principles (even when they think nobody is watching) they send the wrong message and lose their follower's trust. Today's followers are smart, perceptive and value-oriented and they "listen" much more closely to what their leaders do than what they say (the same is unfortunately true of children and their parents).

A leader is felt not seen. When you meet a person that you would entrust with your present and your future, who knows when to push you when you're wheels are spinning and when to carry you when you're out of steam. Espousing the virtues of the destination, a leader doesn't get mired in the process but appreciates the high value of both. Almost shunning recognition, a leader humbles him/herself while harboring an obsessively compelled need for group success.

A leader must see the big picture, not only the company's big picture, but the environment the company functions in and the world as a whole. A leader must be humble in order to learn more, inspire confidence, inspire a strong work ethic in others, be creative, be able to change when needed without being told to do so, and take responsibility for results. A person cannot be a successful leader without FEELING responsible for the results of their actions.

The best leaders understand the roles played by each of the people working for them - and that understanding comes only by rolling up the sleeves and getting the hands dirty. A leader needs to know what it is s/he is asking for!

Leadership is a journey not a destination. Passion, drive and determination will set a leader apart from the rest. A leader is someone you want to follow, not someone that gives you no choice but to follow. Combine
common sense, intelligence and the ability to dream and not only do you have a leader, you have a unique human being.

In the words of Henry Kissinger...."The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are..." "...to where they have not been".

God bless America. I love this country because we are "free". Lead on!!!

What quality or leadership skills do I look for? Someone who possesses a passion and commitment for what they do and are willing to continuously learn and seek ways to build upon the area of expertise. A person needs to have integrity as well, because at the end of the day, that is all one has to stand firm.

“What quality or characteristic do you look for – above all else – when looking for your organization’s next leader, and why?”

Above all else, integrity is the most important characteristic of a leader. A person who has been placed in charge of an organization, asked to develop people and given the ability to lead, instruct, inform and inspire others must have strong core values. The greatest of those values is their integrity. The absence of this characteristic is detrimental to the integrity of the organization and all those associated or affected by it.

A lack of integrity cannot be overcome by money, personality, vision, communication skills or ability. When you look at the majority of the problems we face today in this economic downturn, they all stem from a lack of integrity from leaders in the financial sector, leaders in politics and leaders on a local level in communities.

People in leadership positions who lack integrity are unable to make decisions that require it and ultimately everyone pays the price for this in business and in our world.

A leader is someone who knows and understands an organization's mission, and empowers others to achieve it. Too often a mission statement is simply a clever statement created by the company's marketing department and included on material distributed to customers. If there is no clear mission, a leader creates one, even if it is just for their branch or department. A leader, like a successful athletic coach, gets to know the people under them to know what motivates them individually. He or she always shares credit with those who help them create success. And, a true leader never leaves these values at the office.

Without going into great detail about character assesment. First they have to recognize whats the difference between leadership and management. Here's a couple basics I look for. They recognize that leadership is an Art and management is a science. Second they understand that you lead people and manage resources. People are a unique resource that require unique care and feeding to achieve their potential! and I mean that in a non-literal sense.

A leader should have integrity and open communication so as to gain the respect needed to lead. They need to be smart and surround themselves with people who are even smarter. People who have the strengths and ability to forge new opportunities. They need to set the vision and have the passion to pursue that vision.

Someone willing to share ideas regardless of how others may view them. Also someone willing to do EVERYTHING they are asking their subordinates to do. If you cannot do their job to some extent how can you instruct them on what to do.

A true leader is a mentor. Anyone can "manage" people and processes but it takes someone with the ability to grow talent, push people out of their comfort zones, know when to challenge them more, be willing to allow them to make mistakes. A true leader always has one or two people under them that they are grooming to take over for them should they go away or get a promotion.

A great leader is someone whom others seek to follow. What does that look like?

The leader will ooze uncomprimising integrity. Those around him are proud to be associated with him. He understands the value of surrounding himself with quality people and then investing significantly in their growth and success. He doesn’t take lightly the awesome responsibility of guiding human lives. He believes in the mission of the company and its ability to make it happen through the resources that are available. He is able to listen well, even when the ideas are contrary to his own and he is able to make final decisions and own them—good or bad, regardless of the results. He leads by example. He sets the tone for the culture of the company. He will take the first step when others are reluctant or afraid.