The definitive list of leadership qualities.

• Author: Kristie, James

From Management: It's Not What You Think by Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand, and Joseph Lampel. Copyright 2010 by the authors. Published by AMACOM (www.amacombooks.org).

LISTS OF THE QUALITIES of effective managers and leaders abound. They are usually short--who would take dozens of items seriously? For example, in a brochure to promote its EMBA program, entitled "What Makes a Leader?," the University of Toronto Business School answered: "The courage to challenge the status quo. To flourish in a demanding environment. To collaborate for the greater good. To set clear direction in a rapidly changing world. To be fearlessly decisive" (Rot-man School, circa 2005).

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The trouble is that these lists are not consistent--they contain all sorts of different characteristics. For example, where is native intelligence on the list above, or being a good listener, or just plain having energy? Surely these are important, too. No problem: they appear on other lists. So if we are to find out what makes a manager truly effective, we shall have to combine all the lists. This, for the sake of a better world, has been done in [the book's] Table 1. It lists the...