There are many great leaders in the world.  These leaders are making a tremendous impact in the world and in the lives of others.  But there are a handful of leaders who rise above the rest.  These individuals are remarkable, lasting, even transcendent.  But what makes them so?  What are the things which separate the very best leaders from all others?

And most importantly, can those things be replicated in anyone’s leadership?  The answer is “YES”!

Recently, Fox’s Jay Glazer appeared on the Bill Simmons podcast and said the following words about New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady:

“One thing people don’t know about Tom Brady — we all know much Peyton Manning works, we all know how hard Drew Brees works — Tom Brady works just as hard as these guys.  Being great is a sickness. You’ve got to be great 24/7. It is. It’s just that he doesn’t let people in, so you don’t know. He works just as hard as Peyton and anybody else, non-stop. Every minute of every hour of every day, that dude is trying to think about texting the coach on this, texting the coordinator, he’s watching film, it never stops, never stops, never stops.

While I disagree with the term “sickness”, the following are 10 Things Which Separate The Very Best Leaders From Others which I glean from Glazer’s other spot-on comments:

  1. The Very Best Leaders Are Highly Competitive – They are aware of their successful contemporaries.
  2. The Very Best Leaders Work Very Hard – Success smells a lot like sweat.
  3. The Very Best Leaders Are Focused – They have a single-minded pursuit of their goals.
  4. The Very Best Leaders Eliminate Distractions – They don’t have time to waste.
  5. The Very Best Leaders Do Not Waste Opportunity – They seize it.
  6. The Very Best Leaders Are Highly Intelligent – Successfully dumb leaders exist only in the movies.
  7. The Very Best Leaders Are Never Satisfied – They have a healthy sense of discontent and are always looking for ways to get better.
  8. The Very Best Leaders Embrace Coaching – Though no one can execute like they do, everyone gets better with coaching.
  9. The Very Best Leaders Are Continual Learners – They have a thirst for knowledge.
  10. The Very Best Leaders Never Stop Paying The Price For Success – They are relentless.

What is one area from this list of 10 can you get better at?

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