Well-known American consultant and speaker Alan Weiss recently made a pithy observation about the difference between weak and strong leaders.
Weak leaders worry too much ‘either about being liked or about being feared by subordinates’. By contrast, ‘strong leaders earn respect by wading into tough challenges, making difficult decisions no matter how unpopular or painful, accepting blame, and sharing credit’.
Weiss concludes that leaders in the public or private sector who demonstrate those traits consistently are the most likely to develop strong support and reach their goals. ‘Strong leaders surround themselves with strong people, and weak leaders with weak people (after all, who else would work for them?)’.
So a good way to get a quick, but reliable, first impression of any leader is to observe how strong their direct reports are.
