What Great Leaders Do: 14 Essential Qualities to Master

“Joel’s coaching helped me identify and implement new strategies that allowed me to take my career to a new level. Joel provides valuable guidance and perspective and his passion is evident in every session. I highly recommend Joel’s executive coaching services.”

Scott H., Sr. Merchant Product Manager, AMAZON 

What does a leader look like? Think of two leaders, famous or not, whom you admire and respect. What do they do that is so different? What traits do they have that help them excel at a high level?

Leadership is not a great mystery. Outstanding leaders have specific traits in common. These qualities of great leaders can be learned and developed—by you!

Qualities of a Great Leader Client Example

My client Dianne, a senior director at a major pharmaceutical firm , came to this realization when she decided she couldn’t settle for staying at the same level any longer. Dianne had always felt like more of a wallflower than a leader. However, she had mastered her current role and really wanted to get promoted to a higher-level position. She’d always been a type-A person and an overachiever, and she simply couldn’t feel satisfied staying at the same level.

To get to where she wanted to go, Dianne knew she had to focus on growing her leadership skills. So, after we discussed her ambitions, I began giving her weekly exercises to help her hone those abilities. Within a couple of months, her boss had remarked about her growing leadership competencies and suggested she might be a prime candidate for a directorial position one day.

As Dianne’s story shows, great leaders are made rather than born—and it begins with deeply understanding the essential qualities of a great leader. Let’s take a bird’s-eye view of what a great leader does, and then dive into the traits that make that all possible.

What Defines a Great Leader? The Qualities and Characteristics of the Best

What do great leaders do? They instill feelings of confidence and inspire their people. If you have the motivation, you absolutely can master the skills to become a star leader.

Some people are born with an inherent ability to get others to follow them. However, charisma isn’t the only trait of a great leader. A lot of the personality traits that make for highly effective leaders are built on a solid foundation of emotional maturity and drive.

What Specific Qualities Make a Good Leader Great?

As a leader, you need to understand the particular traits that will help you achieve a high level of leadership success. Here are ten ways that great leaders distinguish themselves. Look again at the two leaders you’ve identified. Go through each of the points below and notice how they demonstrate each of these qualities.

1 – Great leaders lead by example with a guiding vision or purpose.

They possess an unquenchable passion for successfully implementing the vision of the company regardless of the disapproval of those individuals who fail to see the bigger picture. They don’t waste time worrying about day-to-day responsibilities or problems. Instead, they focus on where the organization needs to go.

Action step: Make sure you can clearly communicate the organizational vision to your team, and do so in your next meeting.

2 – Great leaders know how to be themselves and are proud of who they are.

Because they are comfortable with who they are, they are able to do what they need to do and say what they need to say with conviction—and without caring about what anyone else thinks.

Action step: Get clear on who you are by defining your key strengths and reflecting on the idiosyncrasies that make you YOU.

3 – Great leaders model integrity.

Leaders’ honesty and ability to follow a set of ethics in all of their work affects their ability to influence their followers. They set and follow high professional standards for themselves as well as their employees. In many ways, a great leader is also self-sacrificing. The needs of the organization and its employees are their top priority. They’re willing to have tough conversations and take on demanding work for the sake of the greater good. They keep their word and show that the human element of what they do matters more than anything else.

Action step: Spearhead the implementation of strong corporate social responsibility guidelines, or an idea for how your team can give back to the broader community.

4 – Great leaders inspire confidence in others.

They clearly, concisely, and compellingly communicate their message to motivate those around them to greater heights of achievement. People will do more for leaders they respect than they would do for anyone else.

 Action step: Practice the compelling, authoritative statements you’ll make at your next team meeting.

5 – Great leaders are never self-serving.

Unlike the star employee, they aren’t focused on proving themselves but are focused unconditionally (and not selfishly) on what is best for the organization. They look out for the wellbeing of others, especially those who depend on them most directly for leadership.

Action step: Next time someone congratulates you for a specific success, share the credit with others who deserve it. State the specific ways in which they contributed to the project, and how this drove outcomes.

6 – Great leaders have a strong inner voice and rarely second-guess themselves.

Instead, they listen to their inner voice and trust it completely, allowing it to act as their guide with each step they take, even as they move in directions that no one has gone before. Using gut instincts and reasoning, great leaders are able to quickly assimilate information and arrive at a conclusion. They trust their intuition and allow it to guide their decisions. While they often seek additional input, they’re not usually starting at square one. They are confident in these decisions and can articulately explain the rationale behind them. If they have to make a tough choice, they announce it boldly and without wavering.

Action step: To be a great leader, you must believe in your inner voice and trust that it will always be there to guide you. Practice relying on your intuition to make smaller choices now, so you’ll feel more comfortable doing so with the big decisions later.

7 – Great leaders know when to take advice.

They value support from others and bring others into their circle who can provide the counsel they need. They realize the magnitude of their tasks and find the resources and people they need to generate support, which is vital for success. These leaders keep an open mind when it comes to problem-solving, seeking a range of input to increase the overall intelligence they have to work with.

 Action step: Define your inner circle of advisors, considering the specific strengths they bring to the table. You don’t have to formally assemble a committee—just know who you will call on when you need advice.

8 – Great leaders possess the foresight to move ahead, even in the most questionable times.

They take risks and realize the importance of moving forward—daring themselves and others to venture out in new directions. They realize this is part of their responsibility and not something they can turn their backs on. Once they have a strategic vision, they rise to the occasion by taking the necessary risks required for implementation.

Action step: Next time you find yourself confronted with a challenge, try to solve it by thinking outside of the box. Is there an unconventional Option C that no one has thought of yet?

9 – Great leaders love what they do and communicate their passion to others.

They exude a passionate energy that rubs off on others around them. They have a light, effortless, and clear persona that is projected to everyone they meet because they are so in tune with their work. Others feel this and want to be a part of the vision that the leader is bringing forward.

Action step: Immerse yourself in a project you love doing. Then talk about it with your team, a senior leader, or the coworker you bump into over coffee (or on a Zoom meetup).

10 – Great leaders demonstrate insightfulness and intelligence.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but great leaders should be able to think critically and solve problems. Emotional intelligence is an important trait, too. Great leaders get results by working effectively with others and building strong relationships with the people they supervise. They both think and behave intelligently in all that they do.

Action step: Think critically about a problem your boss or a coworker is dealing with. Can you spot any potential solutions that haven’t been voiced yet? If so, you’ll be simultaneously demonstrating insightfulness and emotional intelligence by helping out someone in need.

11 – Great leaders learn to lead by both following and leading up.

They trust those who have authority over them and are loyal to them. They are inspired by the vision that senior leaders are passing on to them and may seek to learn from their example. At the same time, they also strive to influence these leaders, relating to them as equals rather than subordinates.

Action step: Find a way to support a higher-level leader this week, and a way to influence a senior leader next week.

12 – Great leaders are emotionally centered.

Being in control of emotions that can be disruptive to others is another critical component of being a great leader. They have strategies for staying emotionally balanced regardless of what the day brings.

Action step: Find a relaxation technique that helps you maintain calm within the storm when difficult situations arise. If you tend to get anxious or angry easily, make a habit of not responding immediately to emails or phone calls that spark those emotions. Take a few moments to re-center first.

13.  Great leaders invest in their own growth.

By staying abreast of new developments in leadership methods, great leaders can ensure that they will continue to serve as a valuable resource to their company. They strive to read up on new techniques and approaches, and to brush up on them with leadership skills trainings.

Action step: Identify a virtual (or in-person) conference or workshop that could greatly benefit your growth, and sign up to attend.

14 – Great leaders never quit.

They embrace and overcome any obstacles, personal or otherwise, that stand in their way. Their high energy level powers their enormous drive, hard work, good stress-management skills, and enthusiasm. They do the necessary self-work to prevent anything from holding them back, and they eliminate habits that are keeping them from being the best leader possible.

Action step: Find ways to recharge during your downtime and destress your life, so you can maintain the optimistic outlook and drive it takes to succeed as a leader.

Knowing what makes a boss or leader great is not enough. You must also take steps to put your knowledge into action, like the steps suggested here. As you master these essential leadership qualities, you’ll set a powerful example for your own direct reports, which will play a key role in developing their talent as leaders in their own right. If you aspire toward a career in leadership, work toward developing these characteristics and exuding them within your current role. This will absolutely help you to get noticed and prepare you for a next-level position!

 If you’re seeking to develop your own talent, providing them with a skilled coach will give them the support they need to become next-level leaders. As an executive coach, Joel Garfinkle is an expert at helping promising employees develop the top leadership qualities of great leaders. Joel’s book 16 Essential Qualities That Define Great Leaders: Learn the Ideal Behaviors, Mindset, & Habits of the Most Successful also serves as a vital resource for any organizational library.