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IAS keynote: Leadership titles mean little without ‘qualities of the leader’
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CHICAGO — Leadership titles, whether they come in the form of “president,” “chief executive” or “dean,” mean nothing without the qualities that make great leader, according Sanjiv Chopra, MD, MACP, the keynote speaker at the 2019 Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit.
“You can have a leadership title — you can be the chancellor, the CEO, the dean or the president — but it doesn’t mean you have the qualities of the leader,” Chopra, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, told attendees. “Also remember that you can be an amazing leader without ever having a leadership title.”
According to Chopra, all great leaders exhibit 10 qualities, which together form the mnemonic LEADERSHIP: Listening, empathy, attitude, dreaming big, effectiveness, resilience, sense of purpose, humility, integrity and “packing others’ parachutes.”
That last quality, he explained, is a metaphor for nurturing others and providing them with whatever they need to survive and succeed.
“Each one of you is here today because someone packed your parachute,” Chopra said. “Your job as leaders is to pack other people’s parachutes — give liberally.”
Chopra further explained his metaphor through the story of U.S. Navy Capt. J. Charles Plumb, whose plane was shot down during the Vietnam War, leading to his capture, imprisonment and torture in a North Vietnamese POW camp. He survived and was later released after 2,103 days. According to Chopra, years after his captivity, Plumb and his wife were approached in a restaurant by a stranger who inexplicably know the entire story of his capture. When Plumb asked the man who he was, he responded, “I packed your parachute.”
“Plumb gets up and says, ‘Oh my God. I’ve been meaning to look for you. You saved my life. Do you keep track of everyone’s parachute you packed?’” Chopra recounted. “The man says, ‘No, sir. It is enough gratification for me to know that I have served.’”
According to Chopra, although it is easy to point to many great leaders throughout history, leadership itself does not necessarily have to audacious or daunting. Leadership opportunities abound, he said, and an individual can lead at many different levels. He added that all who work hard, make sacrifices and have morals have the potential to be a great leader.
“All great leaders, by their passion and sense of purpose and their accomplishments, live a great story,” Chopra said. “Their stories are told and retold by the people they inspire and later by historians. The stories resonate with people in all lands, and they do so for a long, long time.” – by Jason Laday
Reference:
Chopra S. Leadership by Example: The Ten Key Principles of All Great Leaders. Presented at: Interdisciplinary Autoimmune Summit; April 5-7, 2019; Chicago.
Disclosure: Chopra reports no relevant financial disclosures.