The Most Important Quality to Be Respected as a Leader

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Thoughtfulness. It can make or break a leader.

I came across this term while reading Robert Iger’s memoir, The Ride of a Lifetime. In it he writes,

Thoughtfulness is one of the most underrated elements of good leadership. It is the process of gaining knowledge, so an opinion rendered or decision made is more credible and more likely to be correct. It’s simply about taking the time to develop informed opinions.

It’s nothing new or groundbreaking, but this simple explanation made the distinction so clear between leaders who have it and those who don’t.

Good Decisions Require Good Information

It seems pretty obvious that without good information, you can’t make an informed decision. But leaders who don’t employ thoughtfulness often do the opposite. The desire to “disrupt” or follow the latest trend can seem like a good approach, especially when we’re so laser-focused on the results of our peers, but it can lead to major lapses in judgement.

All information has context. In order for thoughtfulness to come into play, that context needs to be fully understood. Without context, information is siloed and any decision made with that limited perspective is just a shot in the dark. When you’ve employed…