The five leadership elements proposed by George (2015) include self-awareness, values, sweet spot, support team, and integrated life (George, 2015). These values encompass a lot of what it means to be an authentic and impactful leader. However I would like to propose three additional elements; drive, communication and trustworthiness.
Firstly, the drive is a broad term that encompasses achievements, motivation, ambition, energy, tenacity, and initiative (Kirkpatik & Locke, 1991). I believe that drive is an organic source of energy and production that is also contagious. This is a cornerstone of any successful and healthy team culture.
Next is communication skills. Research and data collected from advertising agencies showed that interpersonal communication ranks among the highest traits employees desired from their creative director (Mallia et al., 2013). One may think that in the age of such effortless and instant communication, these skills would come easy. This is not always the case, and the technological and social media age has made communication more different in many ways, especially between generations.
The last trait I would include is trustworthiness. Research done on implicit leadership theories indicates that trustworthiness is a trait people desire in a leader, regardless of the field of work or rank. It is safe to say, having a leader you can trust allows a positive relationship to blossom. After my addition, the seven leadership elements include self-awareness, values, sweet spot, support team, integrated life, drive, communication, and trustworthiness.
References:
George, B. (2015). Discover your true north: becoming an authentic leader. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Kirkpatick, S. A., & Locke, E. A. (1991). Leadership: do traits matter? Academy of Management Perspectives, 5(2), 4860. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.1991.4274679
Mallia, K. L., Windels, K., & Broyles, S. J. (2013). The Fire Starter and the Brand Steward. Journal of Advertising Research, 53(3), 339353. https://doi.org/10.2501/jar-53-3-339-353
Nichols, A. L., & Cottrell, C. A. (2014). What do people desire in their leaders? The role of leadership level on trait desirability. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(4), 711729. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.04.001
