conclusions that arose painfully from the uneven personal experiences of my first year of doctoral work. I entered this program thinking that successful leaders draw from the standard well of leadership skills the skills that are laid out in the Likert scale of our 360-degree feedback – report: setting direction, teamwork, sensitivity, judgment, results orientation, organizational ability, oral communication, written communication, developing others, and understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses. To be fair, these are important leadership skills, and if the leaders that I work with had these in abundance, my job would be easier. If I had these in abundance, I would likely not need this doctorate. But after studying my 360-degree feedback results, reflecting on the variegated personalities, skills, and preferences of my fellow cohort members, and considering the waves of organizational, industrial, cultural, managerial, and personal change that have at some times made my individual skills in great demand at my company, and at other times have made them worthy of disregard, I am no longer sure that such a list is enough. I wonder whether it will ever be appropriate or sensible to create a list of essential leadership traits. Such lists are just snapshots in the fast-forward film of American leadership. I have concluded that in this fast-forward film of American leadership, it is impossible to avoid situations where one’s best will not be good enough. Despite one’s best efforts, there will always come a day when the world will require A, and one will only have B or C in one’s quiver. There will come a day when the suite of skills that one has always wielded successfully will not be sufficient. There will come a day when despite one’s best efforts organizational, – – industrial, cultural, managerial, and personal changes will conspire, and the threat of failure will rise darkly over one’s head. On that day, the leader will need to change, and the ability change to
conclusions that arose painfully from the uneven personal experiences of my first year of doctoral work. I entered this program thinking that successful leaders draw from the standard well of leadership skills – the skills that are laid out in the Likert scale of our 360-degree feedback report: setting direction, teamwork, sensitivity, judgment, results orientation, organizational ability, oral communication, written communication, developing others, and understanding one’s own strengths and weaknesses. To be fair, these are important leadership skills, and if the leaders that I work with had these in abundance, my job would be easier. If I had these in abundance, I would likely not need this doctorate. But after studying my 360-degree feedback results, reflecting on the variegated personalities, skills, and preferences of my fellow cohort members, and considering the waves of organizational, industrial, cultural, managerial, and personal change that have at some times made my individual skills in great demand at my company, and at other times have made them worthy of disregard, I am no longer sure that such a list is enough. I wonder whether it will ever be appropriate or sensible to create a list of essential leadership traits. Such lists are just snapshots in the fast-forward film of American leadership. I have concluded that in this fast-forward film of American leadership, it is impossible to avoid situations where one’s best will not be good enough. Despite one’s best efforts, there will always come a day when the world will require A, and one will only have B or C in one’s quiver. There will come a day when the suite of skills that one has always wielded successfully will not be sufficient. There will come a day when – despite one’s best efforts – organizational, industrial, cultural, managerial, and personal changes will conspire, and the threat of failure will rise darkly over one’s head. On that day, the leader will need to change, and the ability to change