8 Attributes of Organisational Leadership

"Excellent companies provide two things simultaneously: tough environments and very supportive environments." -Tom Peters.


The leadership of Charles H. Lightoller was perhaps never truly extolled whilst he lived; a seaman plagued all his life with the unfortunate legacy of the Titanic as its second officer, he had numerous close calls and his life could be summarised in his role of rescuing 130 soldiers during the Dunkirk Evacuation in World War II, aboard his own vessel, the Sundowner. This little 60-footer, built to hold forty five souls, almost capsized on numerous occasions. Lightoller, abandoned as a child and no stranger to adversity, did courageously what was required all his life in meeting his close calls.
[1] Time and again he faced death and he was never crushed by it.
He had the spirit of high self-efficacy. These days it's also termed resilience. This is a common denominator in good organisational leaders--leaders strong on 'transformational attributes.'
Some of the transformational 'resilient' attributes of great leaders--and certainly represented in Charles H. Lightoller--are as follows. They're:
- Brave, determined and principled;
- Committed and engaged in life;
- Nurturing of their team and individuals;
- Spirited, have drive, energy and passion;
- Able to withstand and overcome personal loss;
- Modest and humble and seek their quieter moments;
- Adaptable: they can learn anything intuitively; and,
- Able to inspire confidence and obedience.