Thread by @jevering

1/ "Leadership is a repeatable skill, not an art." Over 25 years ago, I attended a leadership session at Netscape, run by Jim Barksdale. It was a single hour that profoundly impacted my career.

2/ I regularly revisit the notes from that meeting and am grateful I have them. Unfortunately, I can't recall who took these and shared them afterward, but I believe it was @mavinmartina.

3/ Jim made it a point to differentiate leaders from managers. He stressed that all managers are not good leaders. Here are raw notes of Jim's breakdown of the most important qualities of effective leaders:

4/ Judgment. Logically weighing the facts to make a decision. Making sure you're technically qualified to decide.

5/ Bearing. It's a bit old-fashioned but favorable carriage and appearance, self-assured and controlled, showing flashes of humor and dignity.

6/ Decisiveness. Make decisions fast, bearing in mind the following guidelines 1) never make a decision you don't have to make 2) no decision is also a decision. "If you see a snake, kill it, don't play with dead snakes, all opportunities start out looking like snakes."

7/ Initiative. Do it now; you are the catalyst for action. The best leaders are those going 900 mph and looking like they are walking.

8/ Unselfishness. Help people out; be willing to pitch in when someone else needs it.

9/ Loyalty. Self-explanatory.

10/ Integrity. Honesty, endurance. On the latter, control your pace and rhythm; proving you can work long-term is more important than proving you can work 100 hrs/per week. Take good care of your physical health.

11/ Tact. Courtesy. Treating people the way you want to be treated.

12/ Courage. Fearlessness to accept criticism of yourself, take action, and make things better; always try to do better.

13/ Knowledge. Know your stuff.

14/ Enthusiasm. Go after it and enjoy what you're doing; remember that attitude is a performance problem.

15/ Dependability. If you're not dependable, it suggests that others around you aren't important enough. Not being dependable also suggests arrogance.

16/ Justice. Know the argument. Don't play favorites when it comes to justice; favoritism is one of the most debilitating attributes in a workplace.

17/ Jim's framing leadership as a developable skill gave me the confidence that I might be able to develop these qualities over time -- as long as I dared to accept criticism and had the drive to do better. I'm still working on it 25 years later.

/end