Top Mental Qualities for Leaders

A 2016 study of more than 52,000 managers by McKinsey & Company found that 86% of managers rate themselves as inspiring and good role models. But, in that same study, 82% of employees said they see their leaders as fundamentally uninspiring. 

According to researchers, this isn’t because of a lack of effort and investment into leadership training, but rather, because we are not focusing on the problem; the mind of the leader. Think of yourself or your manager, do they have all the technical skills, but lack the ability to understand organization and culture? This is very common, and the starting point to create strong leaders.

In the book The Mind of the Leader by Jacqueline Carter, her team surveyed and assessed more than 30,000 leaders from 1000s of companies in more than 100 countries, as well as reviewing 1000s of studies on leadership. They found three essential qualities that stand out as being foundational for leaders: mindfulness, selflessness and compassion, or what they call MSC leadership.

Being mindful allows leaders to be attentive, present, and helps them to motivate the people they lead. Research has found that we are distracted from what we do 47% of the time. We’ve lost focus on the present and allow ourselves to be consistently distracted. Attention deficit has become the norm for many business leaders.

If we are not focused, we can’t do anything well. Our brains are wired for distraction, so we need to be proactive and now allow this. Researchers have found a direct correlation between people’s focus level and how fast and high they rise within their organization. According to the data collected by Cater, the vast majority of leaders possess an above-average ability to focus. But, that being said, 90% of leaders believe that more reflection time would enhance their mental clarity. 

Having an understanding of selflessness can help leaders get out the way and provide space and support to their employees so they can thrive. If leaders have an ego, they have a problem. Researchers say that people with higher leadership positions use significantly more pronouns like ‘we’, ‘you’, and ‘your.’ While people with lower leadership or no leadership tend to use ‘I.’

Studies have shown that leaders at a truly human level who have compassion are seen as being trustworthy and having their employees’ best interests in mind. According to researchers, on average, higher-ranking leaders have greater levels of compassion for themselves than mid-level managers. By leading yourself with compassion, you will have a greater chance of

leadership success. And it all begins with taking care of your mind, brain, and body. 

When all three qualities are combined, they enable a stronger sense of meaning, happiness, connectedness, and contribution. Once this is enabled, a leader can work at their best potential and that can be translated into success in your business.