The Benchmark Email

...benchmarks, strategies and ideas for improving your agency
A service of Fazzi Associates, Inc.

March 16, 2004

Traits of the Ideal Leader

Question:
Given all that home care agencies have gone through and will go through, I know that leadership at the agency level and program level is more critical than ever. Are there any research or studies that tell us what staff feel are the traits of ideal leaders?

Answer:
Yes! If you want to be a strong and respected leader, a lot can be gained by reviewing some recent research findings on what staff really want to see in their leaders. But, in reading about leadership, be careful of what you read. Every year hundreds of books and articles are published on leadership, but frankly, most of them are either too simplistic or focused on the charismatic leader of the day. Remember Lee Iacocca (Chrysler) or Jack Welch (GE)? I wonder who is next?

There is, however, some incredible research on traits of the ideal leader. This research gives us insight into what staff really want to see in their leaders. Understanding these findings give you a clear sense of what personal traits managers, directors and other leaders in home care really need to focus on.

In one of the most comprehensive studies on leadership done over the past twenty years, Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge (2002), asked thousands of public and private leaders throughout the country to list what they believed to be the most important traits of highly effective leaders. What came out was startling. While hundreds of traits were named, four consistently came out at the top of the list. What was more amazing was that the study was replicated three times over a fifteen-year period and in each study, all four traits consistently came out at the top of the list.

What is particularly interesting to note is that this study was recently replicated in a number of other countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea, Mexico, etc.). In all cases, the same four traits or characteristics received exceptional ratings by public and private leaders in those countries.

What does this mean for home care leaders? Given the importance of having effective leadership in agencies, having a clear sense of what traits effective leaders have gives you a clear barometer in which to measure yourself and other leaders in your organization. You can also apply a Likert scale to these four traits and have others rate how well you or others exhibit these characteristics. Consider the following:

A. How well does Sue exhibit honesty or integrity in the way she works?

Management and leadership development is becoming more and more important in the home care field. More and more agencies are providing training and seeking to find ways to improve the leadership capacity of their managers and directors. If you are really interested in excelling as a leader, consider these characteristics and/or traits and ask yourself one question, "What can I do to improve myself in each of these areas?" These answers will help you be a better leader in your agency.