LEADER

This factor is all about the characteristics of the leader. Who is this person? Why would anyone want to follow this person? How would you describe this person’s character? What does he or she care most about? What are the deeper motivations under the surface? What’s is this person’s vision? How would you describe his or her personality?

This set of variables within the Leader factor is what scientists refer to as latent variables. Latent variables (as opposed to observable variables), are factors that are not directly observed but are rather inferred from other variables that are observed (directly measured).

In many ways, this is “the black box” part of the LASER framework. Some latent leadership variables correspond to aspects of physical “reality” (e.g., thinking speed), which could in principle be measured, but for all sorts of practical reasons will not be. Sometimes these “black box” variables correspond to abstract concepts which cannot actually be directly measured, like some behavioral constructs (e.g., extroversion) or mental states (e.g., positive attitude) that manifest from a cluster of behaviors or patterns of behavior. Thus, we have to infer these Leadership variables from actions (below) and our perceptions, which are filtered through our own subjective “lenses” for interpretation.

Examples of Leader Factors

Intelligence, Intentions, Purpose, Self-awareness, Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Humility. Gratitude. Forgiveness. Perseverance. Courage. Compassion. Motivations (for Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose), Needs (for Achievement, Affiliation, Power), Passions. Ambitions. Perceptiveness. Personality. The list goes on…