The 1 Percent Leader: What ‘Unicorns’ Get Right in Association Management

William Vanderblomen realized something remarkable after 15 years of conducting executive searches. After combing data from that entire period, he identified a set of unique habits, traits and attributes shared by the most effective leaders. He called them the "Twelve Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest," outlined in his book Be the Unicorn.

Several years ago, at an AMCI conference, I delivered an Ignite-style session where I reviewed these 12 habits of “unicorn” leaders. As someone who has spent more than 25 years in the association profession, the book struck a chord with me. I wanted others to see just how critical these skills are in our world. Yes, there are hard skills required to do our jobs but there are also these less tangible qualities that seem to set the very best leaders apart.

If you are like me, you have likely sat where I have sat. You’ve reviewed 50+ resumes for a Senior Account Manager role and narrowed them down to a dozen. From there, you move into interviews. And that’s when it happens. Two or three candidates emerge as “different.” They communicate differently. They think differently. They show up differently. They stand apart.

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