--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the characteristics of really…" description: "\"I think the characteristics of really effective leaders when people are frightened and depressed are the same qualities that leaders need when people a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/judith-m-bardwick-17540_believe_i-think-the-characteristics-of-really-ef_1133803.jpg" --- # I think the characteristics of really effective leaders… ![“I think the characteristics of really effective leaders when people are frightened and depressed are the same qualities that leaders need when people are optimistic. The difference is when people are frightened the need for these few qualities becomes much stronger because frightened people are…” quote by Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/judith-m-bardwick-17540_believe_i-think-the-characteristics-of-really-ef_1133803.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/judith-m-bardwick-17540_believe_i-think-the-characteristics-of-really-ef_1133803.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/judith-m-bardwick-17540_believe_i-think-the-characteristics-of-really-ef_1133803.jpg) > “I think the characteristics of really effective leaders when people are frightened and depressed are the same qualities that leaders need when people are optimistic. The difference is when people are frightened the need for these few qualities becomes much stronger because frightened people are desperate to have someone they can trust and believe in and who seems to be able to create a better future.” [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective leadership requires the same core qualities regardless of audience mood; in crisis those qualities become more critical as people seek trust and hope. **In simple terms:** Good leaders need the same traits in good and bad times; crises amplify the need for trust. Key Takeaway Cultivate consistent leadership traits; be a steady source of trust. Themes leadership trust crisis management empathy resilience Mood determined empathetic inspired Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - Corporate restructuring - natural disaster response - political campaign - team morale slump - economic downturn Key Concepts Emotional intelligence authenticity vision decisiveness Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance honesty with hope during crises? - What practices build trust quickly in desperate situations? A Different Perspective Leaders may struggle to maintain optimism when resources are scarce. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Better future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-future/) [Depressed Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed-qualities-3129348/) [Desperate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperate/) [Effective Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-leaders/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-need/) [Leaders People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders-people/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Optimistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/optimistic/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Qualities Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities-leaders-3129347/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Stronger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stronger/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trust and believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-and-believe/) ## Related quotes > [One of the qualities that all the leaders have is a voracious appetite to learn whatever they do not as yet know and understand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/one-of-the-qualities-that-all-the-leaders-have-is-a-voracious/) [Warren G. 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People at all organizational levels, whether anointed or self-appointed, must be empowered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalynn-carter/times-of-upheaval-require-not-just-more-leadership-but-more-leaders/) [Rosalynn Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalynn-carter/) > [What really worries me is that those who are in positions of power are not really affected by what we are writing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/what-really-worries-me-is-that-those-who-are-in-positions-of-power/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-lead-people-walk-beside-them-as-for-the-best-leaders-the-people-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Judith M Bardwick > [Self is a construct, a feeling, an identity that is internal and can neither be given nor taken away by others. We develop and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/self-is-a-construct-a-feeling-an-identity-that-is-internal-and-can/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [... we know that productivity suffers when uncertainty is high. But we've failed to realize the equally destructive effects of too little anxiety. ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/we-know-that-productivity-suffers-when-uncertainty-is-high-but-we-ve/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [Trust is perhaps the most critical single building block underlying effectiveness. Without trust leaders do not have followers. Without trust, leaders are impotent despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/trust-is-perhaps-the-most-critical-single-building-block-underlying/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [Schools are generally feminine places, institutions where conformity is valued, taught largely by conformist women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/schools-are-generally-feminine-places-institutions-where-conformity/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [The balanced life is a goal, but for us it is mostly a myth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/the-balanced-life-is-a-goal-but-for-us-it-is-mostly-a-myth/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [Credibility is lost when there are big discrepancies between what leaders say and what they do. ... Increasing credibility requires openness. 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This further involves a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/the-sense-of-loss-of-control-over-what-happens-to-you-at-work-and/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [Nothing creates more self-respect among employees than being included in the process of making decisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/nothing-creates-more-self-respect-among-employees-than-being-included/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [I was appalled at how children had become the focus and gravitational center of the nuclear family around which parents orbited instead of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-m-bardwick/i-was-appalled-at-how-children-had-become-the-focus-and-gravitational/) [Judith M Bardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-m-bardwick/) > [... there's a large core of powerlessness which is balanced against the unwritten contract that says that if you behave, you'll be okay. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the characteristics of really effective leaders when people are frightened and depressed are the same qualities that leaders need when people are optimistic. 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