Can you be nice and still be a successful leader?
Posted by Kim Provencher at 12:16 PM

According to an interesting article in this month's Workforce.com called Leading Indicators you can be. The main common thread amongst successful business leaders is the ability to encourage open and frank discussions. True leaders are down-to-earth and approachable. They proactively promote opinions, really care about their people and are very focused on culture. Most companies tend to make big mistakes in how they define leadership.

The fact is, smartness alone does not drive dynamic, effective leadership. It's really understanding the business, getting your constituents on board and listening to their needs and concerns.

Companies need to realize that the old model of the leaders sitting on top of the pyramid and the managers executing orders does not work in today's environment. The person at the top cannot be the only leader. There have to be various people within the company acting in this role. There are many companies stuck in a rut where the managers are waiting to be told what to do. That doesn't work.