The 3 C’s in Leadership

Last spring, I was invited to give a 30-minute talk (followed by a 10-minute Q&A) on leadership to a group of postdoctoral scholars at Purdue. Although I’ve had many opportunities to study and teach leadership theories and constructs as an I-O psychology professor, this was the first time I was asked to give a proper talk on the topic to a non-psychology audience (well, there was a psychology postdoc, but their field was far removed from I-O).

I took it as a chance to consolidate my thinking on what I believe are the core characteristics of a good leader:

1. Clarity (confidence, purpose, conviction, structure)

2. Compassion (care, kindness, empathy, consideration)

3. Curiosity (open-mindedness, reflectiveness, willingness to explore)

Conveniently, it came to 3 C’s (gotta love alliteration!).

The first two are closely related to the well-studied transactional and transformational leadership behaviors. On a surface level, one could argue that those with a clear sense of direction without compassion are often seen as transactional leaders. Those with both clarity and compassion are more often perceived as transformational leaders. The goal is to embody both – clarity and compassion – to be a leader who not only gets things done (task-oriented leadership) but also builds and sustains meaningful relationships with followers, making them feel seen, heard, and inspired (relations-oriented leadership).

Clarity and curiosity, on the other hand, are often in tension. We aim to balance being confident in what we believe is the best course of action (and communicating that clearly to our team) while staying open and curious about other possibilities. The idea of “humble narcissism,” which gained popularity a few years ago, loosely connects to this (although I have some problems with the concept). Leaders who strike this balance well are often seen as visionary and innovative (change-oriented leadership).

Different leaders bring different strengths to the table. Some are naturally good at executing; others are deeply relational. Some are innately curious, while others are decisive and action-oriented. The key is having the wisdom to read the situation and know when to lean into clarity, compassion, or curiosity… and in what measure.

One more thought:

Understanding and applying the 3 C’s can make you a capable and effective leader. But there’s one more thing I’ve come to believe deeply: without humility at the center, even the most skillful leadership can fall short of its highest potential. Humility grounds us. It keeps clarity from becoming rigid, compassion from turning into saviorism, and curiosity from drifting into aimlessness.  Several years ago, I learned that humility isn’t about thinking less of yourself – it’s about thinking of yourself less. I’m drawn to Tim Keller’s phrase “self-forgetfulness”. It captures the quiet confidence and freedom that comes from not being preoccupied with one’s own image or status. Humility doesn’t quite fit into the 3 C’s framework, but it’s okay. I’ve come to see it as the soil from which all three can truly grow. I’ll come back with more thoughts on humility soon, because I think the topic deserves its own moment.