Emerging Sage Leaders Reflect on Their Own Leadership

By Gary Quehl and William Bergquist

I like leaders who are humble visionaries, yet are willing to push the envelope and risk   something for progress. Emerging Sage Leader

We shift in this essay and the next five to the subject of leadership, the means by which the Sage 100 drive their civic engagements. The sages describe and explain their own leadership strengths and capabilities, and they proceed to identify qualities they both admire and dislike in other leaders. They then reflect on their own leadership styles over the years and identify behaviors they have discontinued because they are no longer found useful or appropriate to how they lead today.

Because all but one emerging sage leader is employed in a paid official capacity, each possesses the legitimate leadership authority that is vested in his or her office. In addition, most emerging sages attribute many of the characteristics of Jim Collins’ Level 3, 4, and 5 leadership and Robert Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership to themselves. They identify as their main leadership strengths passionate vision, action-orientation, strong communications skills, a desire to work through others, and a focus on building collaborative relationships. Emerging sages are highly aware of these leadership qualities, and most tend to believe their styles come from who they authentically are as persons.