Do you have it? The one quality that sets leaders apart

True leaders have vision, creativity, drive, humanity among other qualities. But there’s one that sets them apart from everyone else and stamps them in a class of their own.

The one quality that sets leaders apart from others is that leaders are lifelong learners.

They make that commitment, to continually educate themselves through study, passing on what they know, conversations, accepting other perspectives, being curious. Because change is constant but growth is optional.

We get the choice to grow, adapt and achieve, or stay stuck.

American author and speak John Maxwell said the greatest obstacle isn’t intelligence or ignorance, it’s the illusion of knowledge.

One of Maxwell’s famous 21 laws of leadership is something he calls the ‘Law of the Lid’, which means our team will never outgrow us, or clients will never outgrow us, our business will never outgrow our own personal development.

I know some of you at some stage will have had a health and fitness routine. What happens when you stop exercising? Do you stay fit? Of course not, we fall off a cliff.

Leadership is the same.

We never arrive at great leadership, and there’s a gift in this. It’s the gift in the journey.

Leaders spend time every day going, ‘How can I get better?’ and it’s from a place of authentically wanting to be better for themselves, their clients and the  world.

Author: Self-made, accidental Entrepreneur and Ms Samone Wear, MD MBA.