Quality, meaningful, effective leadership, is not, and must, never be, about, someone telling others, what to do, in a form of, a, My Way or the Highway, attitude, and mind – set! True leaders understand, they must, articulate an inspiring, motivating, compelling set – of – reasons, for others, to follow, and, this, must include, avoiding trying to take all the CREDIT, personally, but, rather, being, ready, willing, and able, to proactively, share the credit, and thank, and, obviously, appreciate the ideas, involvement, and efforts, of others! After, over four decades, of personal and professional involvement, in nearly, everything, involvement, in, effectively leading, from identifying and qualifying, to training, developing, and consulting to thousands of actual, and/ or, potential leaders, as well as serving, personally, as a leader, on various occasions, I strongly believe, and stress, the significance, of this type, of concerted effort, and emphasis. With, that in mind, this article will attempt to, briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, using the mnemonic approach, what this means and represents, and why it matters.

1. Character; cooperate; coordinate; clarity; conceive; create: Since, times evolve, doesn’t it make sense, groups must, also, or lose their sustainability, and relevance? Truly, great leaders possess the quality of character, and ethics, to emphasize, cooperating, and coordinating others, towards the greater good, by articulating a message, with inspiring, clarity, etc! They must think – outside – the – box, with an open – mind, so they might perceive and conceive of the finest options, and proceed accordingly, by creating, a meaningful, significant, strategic and action plan!

2. Relevant; reliable; reach out; responsive; responsible: Responsible leaders must articulate, a relevant, reliable plan, which reaches out, to others, proactively, and strategically! Unless one does so, how can he proceed, in the most responsible, manner?

3. Empathy; emphasis; excellence; endurance; enrich: When one effectively, listens, and learns, from every conversation and experience, and proceeds, accordingly, he maximizes the possibility of proceeding, with genuine empathy! He must place his emphasis, accordingly, if he wishes to achieve a great degree of excellence, instead of settling for good – enough! To do so, require, significant degrees of endurance, and persistence, in order to enrich his organization and stakeholders, towards the greater good!

4. Delve deeply; discover; deliver: True leaders must go, beyond – the – surface and the same – old, same – old, and delve deeply, in order to discover, the best path, forward! Only, then, will the best plans, be used, effectively, and true leadership, delivered!

5. Integrity; inspire; innovate; imagination; involve: Only those, with absolute integrity, instead of only, selectively, are ready, to inspire others! They must have well – considered, imaginations, and be willing to innovate, when needed, and involve, as many stakeholders, as possible!

6. Truth/ trust; timely; time – tested; trends; together: If one wants to gain others’ trust, he must earn it, by consistently, telling the truth! He must proceed, with well – considered, timely action, which considers, trends, evolving times, and time – tested, expertise, knowledge, and, hopefully, wisdom! A true leaders realizes, and believes, the group, and he, are in this, together!

If you hope to be a leader, will you be ready, willing, and able, to give, CREDIT, to others, for each, and every type of help, and assistance? Are you up to the tasks?