Every person has a deep desire to connect with their work, to find meaning in it, and to believe that they are contributing to something greater than who they are as an individual.  They want to be appreciated, respected and valued for the contributions they make and the role that they play.  They want an environment that allows them to contribute fully and where they can do their best work each day and every day.  And they want to be able to do this in safety, both physically and psychologically.  A leaders role, then, is to create all this for each person in their charge.  Not according to some normative table, on balance, or for the average or typical person, but for each individual.  For the team to thrive, the individual must thrive, and the leadership must be individualistic as well.

Effective leadership is the only competitive advantage that will endure.  That’s because leadership has two sides; what a person is - character; and what a person does - competence.  Stephen Covey

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.  Charles Darwin

Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others.  John Maxwell