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The Leadership Quality that will set you Apart From the Pack

Your level of assertiveness will make or break your professional career.

According to Forbes.com, the leadership quality that will either make you or break you is your level of assertiveness.

After years of teaching and coaching business school students and executives, Daniel Ames and Francis Flynn, professors at Columbia Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business, respectively, noticed an important concept surrounding assertiveness and its connection to the success of an individual in a leadership position.

"Some people call it the 'Goldilocks' effect," says Ames. "Too much isn't too good and, likewise, too little isn't too good. There's a range in the middle where leaders are effective at the things they need to do."

Ames believes our tendencies to be more or less assertive are related to deeper personality issues. Assertive people are much more likely to be extroverts, for instance. I would have to say that I understand that to be the case, but I would also have to disagree slightly. I consider myself as an introvert, but because I understand the dynamics of human behavior and can communicate very effectively when in certain situations, I am very effective as a leader.

Because I am a very passionate person, I do gauge my level of assertiveness based on the reactions of others so that I don't get it out of alignment. A huge portion of your success is dependent on how others respond to you, so keep that in mind and make adjustments as necessary.