Trait Emphasis: 14 / Ability Empasis: 15 / Skill Emphasis: 16 / Behavior Emphasis: 19 / Relationship Emphasis: 18 / Process Emphasis: 18
My highest scores were on behavior (19) and relationship and process (18). I can’t say that this is too much of a surprise. I have always believed that people are born with some innate leadership, but I am a firm believer that most of leadership can be learned and that experience will also make great leaders. Trait emphasis scored the lowest for me, but I do think that there is one trait that is almost a must to be a leader and that is selflessness. That one can’t be taught because you are either others focused, or you focused, and the difference is very clear. In fact, the financial services industry has a bad track record of putting mostly focused advisors into leadership positions and it never works even after the company pours money into them to develop their leadership skills. A recent leadership book that I resonated with probably explains the scores that I received. The book is The Only Leaders Worth Following by Tim Spiker. In the book, the author states that the only leaders worth following are the ones that are 1.) inwardly sound and 2.) others focused. Also, something you will learn about me is that I am very, very, very, process oriented. I feel that the only way to scale anything is to have processes and systems in place, so why would we not do the same thing to develop leaders. One of my goals at North Star is to develop a leadership development institute to develop the next generation of leaders in our company. It would be very process driven and we can teach the skills and competencies as it pertains to North Star that leaders need to be effective with our company.
With all of that being said, I also know that I don’t have all the right answers, so I don’t want to deemphasize the other traits just because I scored lower on them and they are not in my comfort zone, so I am curious what everyone else scored and if others have a strong bias as I do to my 3 highest scores.
Nick, I enjoyed reading your post. I agree with your leadership comments: people have innate talents, but these must be developed through experience and learning. Your thoughts on selflessness are are also spot on. This trait can be strengthened if a leader has an effective role model(s). The Army Finance Corps is very process oriented, so I understand your thoughts on developing a leadership institute. I suggest benchmarking with at least one of the military war colleges. Their goal is to produce the future generals and admirals by refining the leadership traits of the best colonels and Navy captains.
Nick, this is a powerhouse reflection—thank you for bringing both data and discernment to the table!
Your emphasis on behavior, relationships, and process paints a clear picture of a leader who is deeply intentional, others-oriented, and committed to scalable, sustainable impact. It's no wonder you've been entrusted with shaping the future of recruiting at North Star and are now casting vision for a leadership development institute. Your wiring aligns perfectly with that mission.
I especially appreciated your insight on selflessness as a non-negotiable trait—it’s a profound distinction, and you’re absolutely right that it can’t be taught like a skill or process. That blend of inward soundness and others focus, as Spiker describes, truly separates transactional leaders from transformational ones.
Your passion for systems and structure resonates deeply with the CPBL ethos. As you said so well: if we build processes for everything else in business, why not for leadership development too? You’re already modeling that mindset—and the humility in your final paragraph shows the kind of growth-oriented spirit that multiplies influence.
Can’t wait to see what you build and who you raise up through your leadership, Nick. You’re in the right room. Let’s go!
