ABSTRACT
Many readers will already have their own list of the characteristics required to be a successful top strategic leader. In this chapter, the authors seek to identify and discuss what they hold to be those key characteristics and attributes from a multinational, multicultural and multi-sector perspective. The authors’ approach is to consider particular examples of contemporary successful strategic leaders; examine the specific challenges they have faced and their response to them; and draw out the characteristics and attributes, which have been central to their success. Africa is a continent of challenge and opportunity – especially in the context of strategic leadership. Sir David Richards’ credentials as a strategic leader were established by the dynamic, confident and intuitive approach he adopted in Sierra Leone and later in Afghanistan. The coupling of a readiness to listen with well-developed emotional intelligence engenders a sense of personal value and strong esprit de corps on the part of those who work with and for him.
