Epic: “Heroic; majestic; impressively great; spectacular; very impressive; awesome.” (Dictionary.com)

How would you describe an epic leader?  Who would you say is an epic leader?  Winston Churchill?  Martin Luther King Jr.?  Jesus Christ?  Steve Jobs?

A few years ago I got to thinking about epic leadership.  It’s what I would call leadership that creates history-making change in the lives of significant numbers of people.  Leaders who facilitate large scale change in cultures, races, communities, industries, corporations, nations, etc.  They are typically pioneers and innovators: those who usher in new ways of thinking, believing and behaving.

The more I pondered history-changing leaders the more I realized there are 13 traits they all shared, and 1 additional critical trait that separated those who created wide-spread positive change from those who created wide-spread negative change.  I wanted to analyze the leadership traits people follow: those traits epic leaders demonstrate that compels people to follow them.

Epic leaders create large scale change and influence the lives of large numbers of people.  I would like to suggest that all epic leaders, even those who create negative impact – despots and dictators – share the majority of, if not all the following 13 traits:

1. Compelling vision – they see a greater cause and plan, are passionate, and then enlist people into something greater than themselves.
2. Choice – they are intentional, not accidental; they choose their direction and their impact.  They recognize their greatest strength is their ability to choose.
3. Conviction – they have deeply held beliefs that form the basis of decisions; they go against the flow, and are not afraid of what others think.
4. Confidence – they are optimistic, and demonstrate a “can do” attitude.  They have a deep-seated belief that their compelling vision is possible.
5. Commitment – they don’t give up when the going gets tough; they persevere through difficulties.  They are tenacious and work hard until the job is done.
6. Courage – they press on through fear and are not afraid to act.
7. Charisma – they demonstrate energy, vitality, are positive, optimistic, and hopeful.
8. Competence – they are skilled at something, have experience, are knowledgeable, demonstrate ability, and are gifted.
9. Communication Ability – they have an ability to engage, encourage, educate, envision and enlist others into their compelling vision.
10. Creativity – they think outside the box, create unique ways and means of solving problems.  They recognize that imagination is more powerful than intelligence.
11. Cognitive Ability – they are brilliant in some way, have a unique intelligence, and/or street smarts.
12. Curiosity – they possess an innate desire to investigate, learn, grow and innovate.
13. Consistency – they live these traits on an ongoing basis, not haphazardly.

Think of any epic leader you are aware of – those who left a positive legacy, and those who left a negative one.  I am betting that no matter who you are thinking of, they demonstrated the majority of, if not all, the preceding traits of an epic leader.  However, there is one final trait that definitively separates the good from the bad; those we look back upon in history and are grateful for, and those we look back upon and wish the world had never known their legacy.  Here is the 14^th trait necessary to create a positive epic leader:

14. Character – the moral and ethical quality of a person.  By their very nature good epic leaders demonstrate love, compassion,     empathy, humility, integrity (living by a moral code), forgiveness, gratitude and scores of other admirable “others-oriented” qualities.

Character makes all the difference.  Yet it is often that which we least analyze when we hire.  Character trumps ability every time.  Hire character over ability.  You can train ability, but it is very difficult to train character in mature workers.

What are the character qualities you want to see in your people?  More importantly, what are the character qualities you want to see in yourself?  You can change your character, but in order to do so the first trait you must embrace is humility: a willingness to learn from and submit to others who can see your blind spots.

In epic leaders, or any leaders, character makes all the difference.  In order to leave a positive legacy, character is the key.

How is yours?