Stephan Hittmann, president of the 911 FUND, often speaks on leadership topics based on his experience leading the Fire Department of New York City. The article discusses that successful leaders attract followers through experience and training, gain respect and admiration to motivate success, and promote opportunities for supporters. Unsuccessful leaders get stuck in pessimism and mistakes, while successful leaders persevere after setbacks, sustain performance over time, and focus on critical issues rather than minor details.

1. Stephan Hittmann: Successful
Leaders Possess Attributes of
Focus, Empathy (Part 2)
By Stephan Hittmann

2. Introduction
 The President of the 911 FUND,
Stephan Hittmann often addresses
professional and support
organizations about such topics as
leadership. In this role, he provides
support and training to fire
departments in Haiti, Argentina,
Mexico, and other countries. Stephan
Hittmann previously served as the
Executive Director of the Fire
Department of the City of New York.

3. Part I Recap
 Part 1 of this article explained that while
some people are born with leadership
tendencies, these capabilities may also
be cultivated through experience and
training. Leaders attract people who
want to follow and emulate them; respect
and admiration for the leader spur
people to contribute to the group’s
overall success. Likewise, good leaders
promote opportunities for those who
support them.

4. Conclusion
 People who fail as leaders often get bogged
down in pessimism and negativity. These
attitudes spread to the rest of the team,
impeding accomplishment. When they do
make mistakes, real leaders persevere and
bounce back from these experiences instead
of allowing such events to define their self-
identity or professional reputation. Finally,
leaders sustain robust performance over time
but understand when to expend energy and
when to conserve it. Experts at
compartmentalization, leaders prove adept at
concentrating on critical issues rather than
becoming bogged down in minutiae.