Friday with Friends - George Denies I have known George Denies for many years, in fact, we have worked together on several organizational improvement initiatives. Without further ado: George Denies and his thoughts on the Four Characteristics of Great Leaders. Organizational success depends on great leadership. Throughout nearly 14 years as a municipal parks and recreation professional, I saw the best and worst of leadership. And though I didn't necessarily realize it at first, at times I was part of the problem. For example, an off-handed comment by a first-year lifeguard made me realize that the supervisory team I had put in place was viewed as lazy, entitled and unwilling to help their fellow team members — both a shock to me, and a disservice to my lifeguards. I wanted a team of great leaders, and I had the exact opposite. Great leaders motivate, inspire, coach, discipline, encourage and develop their team. Under these conditions, team members have a bette