Qualities of a good leader: 25 things great leaders actually do
Each quality with what it looks like on an ordinary workday, what it doesn’t, and one way to practice it. Plus leadership skills examples and a self-check you can print.
The qualities of a good leader are easy to list and hard to see. Everyone agrees great leaders have integrity, listen and communicate clearly; fewer people can say what that looks like on a Tuesday afternoon. So this guide describes each of the 25 qualities as a behavior you can spot, the imitation that gets mistaken for it, and one small way to practice it. After the list: which qualities matter most by situation, 12 leadership skills examples for a resume or a review, a 12-question self-check you can print and what a few great leaders in history had in common.
Leadership qualities list: all 25 at a glance
Grouped into five areas. Each name jumps to what it looks like in practice.
Character
People
Direction
- 12.Vision
- 13.Clear communication
- 14.Decisiveness
- 15.Focus
- 16.Transparency
Getting things done
Growth
25 qualities of a good leader, and what each looks like at work
For each one: a behavior you would see on an ordinary workday, the imitation people mistake for it, and one way to practice it this week.
Character
The qualities people judge first, and forgive last.
1. Integrity
On a Tuesday: Tells a client the delivery will be late as soon as they know, instead of hoping nobody notices.
Not this: Saying the right things in the all-hands and something different in private.
Practice: Before you promise anything this week, check you can keep it. Write the promises down and review them on Friday.
2. Humility
On a Tuesday: Asks the newest person on the team how they would solve a problem, and uses the answer.
Not this: Self-deprecating jokes while still taking every decision alone.
Practice: In your next meeting, speak last on any decision.
3. Accountability
On a Tuesday: Says "that's on me" in the review of a missed deadline, then explains what will change.
Not this: Taking the blame in words while quietly pointing at the person who made the mistake.
Practice: Run your next project review starting with what you would do differently.
4. Consistency
On a Tuesday: Reacts to bad news on Monday the same way as on a good Friday, so people bring it early.
Not this: Moods that the team has to check before deciding whether to raise a problem.
Practice: Pick two team rules you apply to yourself too, and keep them for a month.
5. Courage
On a Tuesday: Pushes back on an unrealistic deadline from their own boss, with a plan for what is possible.
Not this: Being blunt or loud and calling it courage.
Practice: Name one conversation you have been avoiding and have it this week, starting with the facts.
People
How a leader treats the people doing the work.
6. Empathy
On a Tuesday: Notices someone has gone quiet in meetings and asks how they are doing, one to one.
Not this: Saying "I understand" and then carrying on exactly as planned.
Practice: Start each one-on-one this week by asking what is taking up most of their energy.
7. Listening
On a Tuesday: Repeats back what they heard before answering, and asks one more question.
Not this: Waiting for a pause to give the answer they had ready.
Practice: In one conversation a day, summarize what the other person said before you reply.
8. Fairness
On a Tuesday: Shares the interesting projects around instead of giving them to the same two people.
Not this: Treating everyone identically when people need different things to succeed.
Practice: List who got the last five stretch assignments. If it is the same names, change the next one.
9. Trust in others
On a Tuesday: Hands over a project with the goal and the deadline, then lets the owner choose the approach.
Not this: Delegating the work and keeping every decision.
Practice: Delegate one task you would normally keep, and agree on one check-in point instead of many.
10. Coaching
On a Tuesday: Answers "what should I do?" with "what are your options?" when there is time to.
Not this: Fixing every problem yourself because it is faster.
Practice: The next time someone brings you a problem, ask two questions before giving any advice.
11. Recognition
On a Tuesday: Names the specific thing someone did well, in front of the people who benefit from it.
Not this: A generic "great job, team" at the end of every meeting.
Practice: Send one specific thank-you a day this week, naming what the person did and why it mattered.
Listening and fairness get tested hardest when people disagree. Our conflict resolution activities give a team safe ways to practice.
Direction
Making sure everyone knows where the team is going and why.
12. Vision
On a Tuesday: Can explain in one sentence where the team is going this year, and everyone on the team can repeat it.
Not this: A long slide of values nobody remembers.
Practice: Write the team's direction in one sentence, then ask three people to say it back in their own words.
13. Clear communication
On a Tuesday: Ends every meeting with who does what by when, written down.
Not this: Long updates that leave people unsure what changed.
Practice: Put the decision or the ask in the first line of every message this week.
14. Decisiveness
On a Tuesday: Makes a call with the information available, says when it will be reviewed, and moves on.
Not this: Deciding fast to look strong, or waiting for certainty that never comes.
Practice: For each open decision, write the date it will be made and who makes it.
15. Focus
On a Tuesday: Says no to a good idea because the team is already committed to three better ones.
Not this: Adding every request to the list and calling them all priorities.
Practice: Ask the team which current project they would drop if they had to. Seriously consider dropping it.
16. Transparency
On a Tuesday: Explains the reason behind a decision, including the options that lost.
Not this: Sharing everything, including half-formed worries, so people carry your anxiety too.
Practice: Next time you announce a decision, add one sentence on why and one on what you considered instead.
Getting things done
Turning direction into results, especially when things go wrong.
17. Follow-through
On a Tuesday: Comes back to the question they said they would look into, without being reminded.
Not this: Saying yes in the meeting and letting it drop afterward.
Practice: Keep a list of everything you said you would do, and clear it before you add anything new.
18. Calm under pressure
On a Tuesday: Answers an outage or an angry client with a short plan, a steady voice and clear owners.
Not this: Pretending nothing is wrong.
Practice: Before reacting to bad news, write down the three things you know and the one next step.
19. Removing obstacles
On a Tuesday: Asks "what is slowing you down?" and then spends their own time clearing it.
Not this: Asking what is in the way and never doing anything about the answer.
Practice: Ask each person for one blocker this week and fix at least one of them yourself.
20. Problem solving
On a Tuesday: Looks for the cause of a repeat problem instead of patching it again.
Not this: Jumping to the first fix to make the problem go away fast.
Practice: Take the problem that keeps coming back and ask why five times with the people closest to it.
21. Resilience
On a Tuesday: Treats a lost deal or a failed launch as information, and talks with the team about what to try next.
Not this: Shrugging off every setback without learning from it.
Practice: After the next setback, hold a 20-minute talk with three questions: what happened, what we learned, what we try next.
Growth
How a leader keeps getting better.
22. Curiosity
On a Tuesday: Spends an hour a month with another team to understand how their work connects.
Not this: Asking questions only to prove a point.
Practice: Ask "how does that work?" about one thing outside your area each week.
23. Adaptability
On a Tuesday: Changes the plan when the facts change, and says so openly.
Not this: Changing direction every week because of the last conversation.
Practice: Review one plan this month against what has changed since you made it.
24. Self-awareness
On a Tuesday: Knows they interrupt when stressed and asks a colleague to flag it.
Not this: Knowing your personality type and using it as an excuse.
Practice: Ask two people what you do when you are under pressure. Write down what surprises you.
25. Openness to feedback
On a Tuesday: Asks "what should I do differently?" and says thank you, even when it stings.
Not this: Asking for feedback and then explaining why it is wrong.
Practice: End your next three one-on-ones by asking for one thing you could do better.
A leader who stops growing tends to take the team with them. If that sounds familiar, our guide to complacency in the workplace has the signs and the fixes, and our professional development ideas help you plan what to learn next.
Which qualities matter most, by situation
All 25 matter, but not equally at every moment. Lean on these three first.
New manager
Listening, Humility and Consistency. Spend the first month learning before changing anything big. Your team is watching how you react more than what you announce.
Remote team
Clear communication, Trust in others and Recognition. Write things down, judge results instead of online status, and say thank you where others can see it.
A crisis
Calm under pressure, Decisiveness and Transparency. Short updates on a fixed rhythm, even when there is nothing new to say, stop rumors filling the silence.
A growing team
Vision, Coaching and Fairness. What worked with five people breaks at fifteen. Grow other leaders, and keep the direction simple enough to repeat.
The right style also shifts as a team matures: a new team needs direction, a settled one needs room. The stages of team development show what each stage asks of the leader.
Leadership skills examples for a resume or a review
Qualities are who you are; skills are what you can show. Fill in the brackets with your own numbers and names.
1. Delegation
Handing over work with clear goals and real ownership.
Delegated ownership of [process] to two team members, freeing [time] a week for client work.
2. Coaching and mentoring
Helping people get better at their jobs and grow their careers.
Mentored [number] junior colleagues, [number] of whom were promoted within [period].
3. Decision-making
Making timely calls with incomplete information and owning the result.
Led the decision to [change], weighing [options] and delivering [result].
4. Strategic planning
Setting direction and choosing what not to do.
Built the team's [year] plan, narrowing [number] proposals to three priorities that met [goal].
5. Team building
Hiring, onboarding and shaping a group into a team that works well together.
Hired and onboarded [number] people, building a team that delivered [result] in its first [period].
6. Conflict resolution
Turning disagreements into decisions without damaging relationships.
Mediated a long-running dispute between [teams] over [issue], agreeing a shared process both now use.
7. Change management
Leading people through a new system, structure or way of working.
Led [number] people through the move to [system], with [result] by the end of the first quarter.
8. Communication
Making the message clear to every audience, up, down and across.
Wrote and presented monthly updates to [audience], replacing [old report] with a one-page summary.
9. Project leadership
Getting a cross-functional project over the line on time.
Led a [number]-person cross-functional project to launch [product], delivered [on time / under budget].
10. Performance management
Setting expectations, giving feedback and dealing with problems early.
Introduced monthly feedback conversations for [number] reports, cutting surprise ratings at review time.
11. Emotional intelligence
Reading the room and managing your own reactions.
Recognized for steady leadership during [event], keeping the team on track through [challenge].
12. Problem solving
Finding and fixing root causes, not symptoms.
Traced a recurring [issue] to [cause] and fixed it, reducing [metric] from [before] to [after].
Writing a review rather than a resume? Our performance review phrases include a leadership set for every rating.
A 12-question leadership self-check
Answer yes or no, honestly. Each question links to the quality it tests, with a way to practice it.
- Did I keep every promise I made to my team last week? (Integrity)
- Could everyone on my team say where we're going this year in one sentence? (Vision)
- Do people bring me bad news early? (Consistency)
- Did I ask for feedback on my own work this month? (Openness to feedback)
- Have I delegated something important without checking in daily? (Trust in others)
- Did I thank someone for something specific this week? (Recognition)
- Do I know what is blocking each person on my team right now? (Removing obstacles)
- Did the last stretch assignment go to someone new? (Fairness)
- Did my last meeting end with clear owners and dates? (Clear communication)
- Have I had the conversation I've been putting off? (Courage)
- Did I say no to something this month to protect the team's focus? (Focus)
- When I'm under pressure, do I know how I come across? (Self-awareness)
Pick one “no” and work on it for a month, then take the check again. It also works as a team exercise: managers fill it in, then compare one answer each with a peer.
What great leaders in history have in common
Four well-documented examples of good leaders in history, each with one fact and the lesson for an ordinary team.
1. Ernest Shackleton
On the Antarctic expedition he led from 1914, his ship Endurance was trapped and then crushed by sea ice. He spent many months getting the crew to safety, and every member of the ship's crew survived.
The lesson: When the original goal is gone, the job becomes the people.
2. Florence Nightingale
In military hospitals during the Crimean War she pushed for basic sanitation, and afterward used carefully gathered data and clear charts to persuade officials to reform army health care.
The lesson: Good evidence, shown simply, changes minds that opinions can't.
3. Abraham Lincoln
After winning the 1860 election, he appointed several of the men who had competed against him for his party's nomination to his cabinet.
The lesson: Strong leaders keep capable people who disagree with them close.
4. George Washington
He resigned his military command at the end of the Revolutionary War, and later chose to step down after two terms as president.
The lesson: Knowing when to hand over power is part of leading.
None of these all-time great leaders led perfectly, and you don’t need a historic moment to use the same habits. Most good leadership happens in ordinary weeks.
Want a leadership session for your team?
For practice your managers can do together, our leadership activities come with steps and debrief questions. For a session someone else leads, see leadership team building, book about 2 weeks ahead, or get a free quote.
Two 60-minute workshops, live on Zoom by default: one on self-leadership, one on leading a team without micromanaging.
