{"id":80175,"date":"2020-11-05t13:00:07","date_gmt":"2020-11-05t18:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/48e130086c.nxcli.net\/?p=80175"},"modified":"2021-08-12t18:00:12","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12t22:00:12","slug":"edge-leaders-share-7-strengths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.g005e.com\/2020\/11\/05\/edge-leaders-share-7-strengths\/","title":{"rendered":"edge leaders share 7 strengths"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>here’s a clear picture of what this kind of leadership looks like.<\/strong><\/p>\n

by anthony zecca
\n<\/i>leading from the edge<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n

let\u2019s take a stroll down memory lane and think about the leaders you have had in the past.<\/p>\n

more on edge leadership: <\/b>assessing your firm<\/a> | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders<\/a> | why leaders must ensure clarity<\/a> | incremental vs. exceptional success<\/a> | do you lead or just manage?<\/a> | managing vs. leading<\/a> | is your leadership team at the edge?<\/a> | 6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond<\/a> | edge leaders share 7 strengths<\/a> | leadership must drive culture<\/a> | leading from the edge<\/a>
\n\"goprocpa.com\"exclusively for pro members. <\/span><\/strong>log in here<\/a> or 2022世界杯足球排名 today<\/a>.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

if you are like me, your experience reflects some really good leaders and some poor leaders, with most being in the middle, i.e., average center leaders.<\/p>\n

what attributes did they exhibit that you thought were really good? what attributes did you think were negative and not focused on teamwork, values, client, etc.?<\/p>\n

\u201cif your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are an excellent leader.\u201d \u2013 <\/strong>dolly parton<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

so, what makes a great edge leader? what reflects a leader who truly leads from the edge? there are many leaders in professional service firms who are decent leaders. most, however, lead from the center, generally content with the firm\u2019s history and average growth. center leaders are content with incremental performance improvement and are happy to win skirmishes even if that diminishes their ability to win the war. they celebrate when a new client is won (skirmish) but do little to reduce the number of opportunities the firm lost (the war).<\/p>\n

we can often learn from history and if we reflect on two great military leaders, most center leaders today might have held the rank of lieutenant, leading some troops into a skirmish, but never generals leading the entire army into battle. below are two examples from an article written by patrick alain (industry leaders magazine website in april 2012) that highlight two great historical edge leaders:<\/p>\n

julius caesar: <\/strong>easily one of the greatest military leaders of all time, caesar was also one of the best political leaders the world has ever seen. he led several campaigns with numerous victories and was singlehandedly responsible for the expansion of the roman empire. he was also responsible for reforming the roman government and thus laying the foundation for a great empire. his greatest traits were his decisiveness, boldness, eagerness, motivation, opportunism and strategic planning.<\/p>\n

george washington: <\/strong>washington, known as the founding father of the united states of america, was the leader of the american revolution and the first president of the u.s. he was a true visionary whose vision has endured for more than 200 years. what made washington great was his foresight, vision, strategic planning and his ability to lead people to success.<\/p>\n

both men were leaders in very different times but who had some key attributes in common. they were bold and confident, and their vision was not limited by fear or concern about what their soldiers would think or by fear of losing the battle. they were decisive in everything they did and, in most cases, made decisions with input from their commanders. once decisions were made, those decisions were communicated with confidence and 100 percent conviction. both edge leaders were great strategists and were exceptional at understanding what needed to be done to win and how to motivate their soldiers to win. finally, and in certain ways most critical, was their ability to lead their troops (their teams) to success, to the end zone, to the win regardless of the obstacles they faced. they were inspirational, believable and committed to their vision.<\/p>\n

another hallmark of a great leader is the ability to grow from failure because mistakes are bound to occur in any leader\u2019s world. edge leaders never give up. they are persistent and unwavering in their self-confidence, which propels them from failure to astounding success in most situations. here are examples of great leaders whose successes were born out of failure.<\/p>\n

walt disney: <\/strong>when you look at how disney\u2019s animated movies have become a household name, you would find it difficult to imagine that their creator once faced rejection and was fired because \u201che lacked imagination and had no original ideas\u201d according to a newspaper editor (i wonder how this editor\u2019s career went). disney\u2019s first foray into animation was a failure and he was turned down time and again when seeking financing for the walt disney company. fast forward and the disney empire had annual revenue in excess of $30 billion (2019 usd) and has won more than 30 academy awards for his animated films.<\/p>\n

elizabeth arden: <\/strong>elizabeth arden was born florence nightingale graham and went on to establish one of the most influential companies in the beauty industry. however, success did not come easily. before she found her niche in the beauty industry, elizabeth arden experienced several failures. she dropped out of nursing school after realizing that the responsibilities depressed and even frightened her. afterward, she tried a number of different careers, such as being a receptionist, bank teller and secretary. however, all of these fizzled out too. her first business venture also failed, but this failure did not deter her from going after her dream. she took a loan in order to set up her next business venture \u2013 a cosmetics and beauty salon company \u2013 and it was a success. these days, elizabeth arden inc. earns around $1 billion every year.<\/p>\n

jack ma: <\/strong>the rags-to-riches story of alibaba founder jack ma will inspire you to never give up on your dreams. born as ma yun in 1964, he was the second child in a family of three. at that time, china was isolated from the rest of the world, and jack ma was often bullied for being scrawny. he\u2019d get into fights because he never backed down from bigger kids who harassed him. ma figured that education was his gateway to a better life, but he failed his university entrance exams twice. he did pass on his third try, and ultimately attended hangzhou teachers institute. finding a job after graduating from university was also a challenge. he experienced dozens of rejections before a local university hired him as an english teacher. after that, he launched his own business ventures that failed. but jack ma wasn\u2019t deterred by failure. just a few years after his last failed business venture, he founded alibaba, an e-commerce business and ma\u2019s answer to amazon. this time, the business was a resounding success. according to\u00a0forbes<\/a> estimates, as of july 2020, jack ma\u2019s net worth was around $45.9 billion.<\/p>\n

the bottom line is that leaders from the edge all share the same strengths and they win regardless of failures and challenges they encounter along the way. they accept responsibility and never look to blame. they grow from failure and from challenges to become stronger, more insightful leaders.<\/p>\n

edge leaders share the same seven strengths:<\/p>\n