The Five C's of Great Leadership

Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy lives on, many generations over since his life and untimely death.

In this brief article, I outline the 5 C’s of Great Leadership, adapted from the svelt read "The Next Generation Leader" by Andy Stanley, and inspired by a recent "Wakeup" call given by John F Jackson, VP of Leadership Development at CarbonCopyPRO. 

Confidence

Confidence has its basis in an assurance of who you are – your identity. Martin Luther King Jr’s faith ensured that he knew who he was – his identity was thoroughly and completely wrapped up and made sure by his faith in God. You may not be in that same position – but every great leader (famous and infamous alike) has always had a sense of a higher calling on their life – some external reference point from which they were able to gauge themselves, that gave them a solid relational grounding with their own humanity and with others. 

Courage 

Courage is key to leadership – it’s the ability to take the risk when others would shrink back from taking the risk.

Compare for a minute King Saul’s response to his inauguration as king (he hid!!) with David the Shepherd boy’s fearless courage in the face of the real opposition in the character of Goliath, and you’ll see two distinct reactions to the call and challenge to be courageous in the face of great uncertainty.

Great leaders give courage in others as a consequence of their actions.

They can cause a hitherto timid and uncertain team to rally around their cause as a consequence of their inspiring courage.

Clarity

A great leader will develop and communicate clearly what their vision is to others to such an extent that they will foster trust in the team that they lead – even when the exact methods for achieving the goals set out in that vision may not yet be apparent. 

Coaching

You own experience can only get you so far – being coachable and teachable are essential for a leader to grow in areas of their life that would otherwise remain dormant. Coaching is essential to real growth for any leader, and is often responsible for breakthrough developments in personal self-awareness and its consequent positive influence on the relationships involved. 

Character

Character can only be developed by constant doing & reviewing in the context of the above four steps. Talent should never be seen as the master of a leader’s developing character, but should be subservient to the leader’s ability to harness and ring-fence what talent’s potential for over-reaching.

If you’d like to get more information on leadership, visit the Leadership Development page on this site – and please do add your insights below to extend these brief reflections!