By Chris Gandy

When I reflect on my primary school days I can vividly recall teachers constantly regaling the class to not drop our aitchs. Seems we were running about the place saying things like “elp” instead of “help”; wondering how we could get to “eaven” and not  “heaven”;  and asking “arry” instead of “harry” whether he wanted to go there too.

Like many random experiences during one’s early life this left an impression on me and caused a mild fixation with words starting with H.

So, imagine my delight when I can across a book by Eric Douglas titled The Leadership Equation identifying four personal qualities necessary to be a successful leader.

Yes, you guessed it, all four begin with H.

Ere, I mean, here are Eric’s leadership foundational qualities.

1.     Honor
Following moral and ethical codes that enable others to place a high level of trust in them.

2.     Heart
Having a passion for what they do. A willingness to press on in the face of disappointment and loss.

3.     Humility
Directing one’s ego needs towards the larger goal of building a great culture within the organisation.

4.     Humor
Maintaining a sense of humor about themselves and what life throws at them. Rolling with the punches and seeing the bright side in life’s challenges.

Aving worked for so many years in leadership roles, particularly in not-for-profits, it seems that like my teachers of yesteryear it is mighty ard to argue with Eric’s pronouncement. However, I would add a further aitch, and that is ….

5.    Hope

Any leader worth their salt needs to be a beacon of hope in an organisation. As Joseph Lalonde says..

While leading will wear you out and take you down some dark paths, the job of a leader is to point to a brighter tomorrow. One that others have a hard time seeing… You know there’s something good ahead. And you want to lead others on a purposeful journey.

Making sure you don’t drop these key aitchs will ensure your career in leadership is destined to achieve a ighly effective impact.

Chris is a Director of Cause and Effective. We assist organisations doing good to do it even better.