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The most important leadership attribute

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As someone who has extensive leadership experience and coached and mentored hundreds of others on the subject, a question I get asked all the time is “what is the most important leadership attribute or tool?”  The answer is there isn’t one.  Asking that is like asking a carpenter or mechanic what their favorite tool is and they will probably reply that it depends on the need.  If all you have is a hammer, you’ll treat everything like a nail with disastrous results.

The most successful and effective leaders are those who have many tools in their leadership toolbox and know which ones are most appropriate in a given circumstance.  As the late great martial artist Bruce Lee said, “Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; you put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; you put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend.”

The best leaders are like water, they adapt and flow, mixing and applying leadership tools and concepts in ways that align to them and the situation.  People are messy and complicated because life can be messy and complicated.  Leadership is about helping people work through the messiness and complications, so there can’t be a “best” tool or attribute without understanding person and the circumstances.  This is why there are literally thousands of books and articles on leadership.

What’s a person to do then?  Fill your toolbox by reading and working with the best leadership coaches.  Put your leadership tools into practice and observe the results.  Take time to reflect on your experiences and what you can do differently to improve outcomes.  Lather, rinse, repeat. There’s no shortcut but to put in the work and to dedicate yourself to the never-ending pursuit of leadership mastery.  Believe me when I tell you it’s rewarding, both for you and your teams.

Authored By: Jason Lamb, Managing Director

Jason Lamb

Jason is the United States Space Force's Talent Strategist. In this role, he is actively involved in crafting and executing the United States Space Force’s human capital strategy and plans. A nationally recognized thought leader in leadership and talent management, he advises Space Force senior leadership on how best to acquire, develop, engage, assess, promote, and employ its military and civilian members. Prior to his current position, Jason served over 25 years in the Air Force as an intelligence officer and retired in the rank of Colonel.

In uniform, Jason served with distinction in a variety of intelligence, staff, and command assignments in deployed combat environments, geographically dispersed organizations across the globe, and in the United States. As an intelligence group commander, he led over 650 personnel in eight units spread across four continents supporting everything from national decision making to time-sensitive tactical operations.  Jason has deployed in support of Operations SOUTHERN WATCH, IRAQI FREEDOM, and ENDURING FREEDOM. During his career, Jason was recognized as the Air Force’s Intelligence Officer of the Year, graduated number one from his Air War College class, was awarded the Bronze Star in Afghanistan, and twice awarded the prestigious Legion of Merit.

While those accomplishments are noteworthy, he is perhaps best known for leading a significant culture shift in the Air Force and across the Department of Defense beginning with a series of articles he published under the pseudonym “Col Ned Stark.”  In those articles, Jason highlighted significant organizational culture and leadership alignment issues, provided root cause analysis, and offered innovative solutions resulting in the Chief of Staff of the Air Force offering him a senior position on his staff.  To the surprise of many, Jason chose to end his fast-track career and retire instead so that he could coach and engage with broader audiences.  The Space Force reached out to Jason to architect an innovative new approach toward talent management and leadership development that would ensure the long-term alignment of the newest armed service’s mission and values.  The result was The Guardian Ideal, described by the Chief of Space Operations as the single most important accomplishment of the Space Force to date.

Jason understands how to create and develop high-performing teams of teams.  He knows how to uncover organizational misalignment and dysfunction to craft tailored solutions that improve workforce retention and performance.  Jason is a proven leader and solver of wicked and complex problems.

Jason graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy with a degree in International Relations with a minor in Japanese.  He holds four advanced degrees in organizational management, national security policy, and strategy.  Additionally, Jason is an International Coaching Federation-certified professional coach with an additional certification as an Energy Leadership Index Master Practitioner.  He resides in Colorado with his wife and daughter.

Victory Strategies is a Veteran Owned Business.