UXL Blog

In this snippet from one of her talks, Dr. Sheila Murray Bethel gives us her five characteristics every good leader needs.

Her five F’s are:

Fast

Focused

Flexible

Fluid

Futurized 

I like how she not only establishes some very important leadership attributes, but also stresses the importance of being able to jump from one skill to the next. In a leadership role, you need to be fast on your feet as things develop on the fly. At the same time, you must stay focused on the project and on the people working with you. The attribute that lets you do this is flexibility. You must be able to be on high gear in one moment, then slow it down to address the needs of an individual, and then turn it back on high gear.

From experience, I can tell you that all this running around and focusing on all the various needs of the organization gets exhausting. Many leaders burn out pretty quickly. This is why I think Dr. Bethel’s last point, being futurized, is a very fitting point to end on. Having vision and being forward-thinking are what keep you centered and motivated. So, while you might get tired from all the running around and changing gears to address new developments as they pop up, you won’t burn out, because you know what you’re working toward.

What are your thoughts on Dr. Bethel’s five F’s? What kind of leadership principles are on your list?

Have a great week, it looks like spring is finally upon us!

Tags: Delegation, Healthy Workplace, Improving Leadership, Leadership, Learning Agility, Margaret Smith, UXL