Leadership means something different to everyone.  This was what I discovered at my latest group coaching session.  Of course, I was expecting a difference of opinion.  But the one opinion that surprised me was that some thought of leadership as a role and not a skill. The old-school leadership was your boss and his boss and his boss’ boss. And that is still true today.  But for someone in a senior leadership position who doesn’t have leadership qualities, are they still a “leader”?

For those who considered leadership in today’s definition had a different primary quality in mind. Some answers were: trust, respect and honesty. Many didn’t think that a required quality had to be taking initiative or being proactive as most didn’t like to be accountable.

The qualities I had are:

• Trust
• Respect
• Honest
• Accountable
• Self-Motivated
• Empathy
• Confidence 
• Vision
• Servers others
• Inspire
• Listen
• Aware
• Optimism  and positive energy

What do you think? Can you be a leader without being accountable?