1. Self-knowledge: there is no greater teacher than responsibility - especially at an early age. With responsibility and accountability, you gain self-insight through some hall of mirrors, some prismatic way of seeing yourself in a variety of circumstances.
2. Open to feedback: effective leaders develop valued and varied sources of feedback on their behavior and performance. One of the best sources for many is a spouse. Of the top 40 executives of Fortune 20 companies studied in the late 1990s, all but two were still married to their first spouse and very enthusiastic about the whole institution of marriage.
3. Eager to learn and improve: they're great at both asking questions and listening. They know their own strengths and they nurture and develop those skills and talents extraordinarily. They want to get better and are often astonishingly open and eager to learn.
4. Curious risk takers: adventurous and curious - amazingly curious. They seem to walk through life with their eyebrows raised. They seem capable of taking great risks - always getting involved in situations that they did not realize until later were dangerous. They appreciate that life is a journey and understand the significance is not getting there, but the journey itself.
5. Concentrate at work: not all of them are graceful or comfortable with interpersonal relations but they have an almost alarming degree of concentration and persistence.
6. Learn from adversity: almost invariably, great leaders have had a significant setback, crisis or failure in their lives. Many faced adversity early in their lives. They somehow understand that failure prepares them for future events and they prepare for future action.
7. Balance tradition and change: they paid attention to the principles of tradition and stability and diagnosed the culture before they introduced the revisions and changes.
8. Open style: they allowed feedback and reflection from others about what they were doing, even if it meant making themselves open and vulnerable to criticism. They reviewed major events to learn from all the mistakes and successes.
9. Work well within systems: they rely heavily on staff to extend their reach. They used communication rather than decision. They understand the systemic aspects of all decisions.
10. Serve as models and mentors: they take pride in helping to make their associates' period with them a learning process.
    
    with thanks to Warren Bennis

  For what research confirms employees would tell bosses - if asked,  send an email to bs@futurevisions.org with "MWS research on bosses" in the subject and nothing in the body