I had an entirely different topic in mind, but at the ninth hour, I shifted to one we all seek to understand at some point:
What qualities and characteristics make an individual a great leader? And how can I become one?
Many of us coach emerging leaders who want to reach the pinnacle of their careers. Success, for them, often comes down to leadership—whether it’s leading a small team or an entire organization. But what actually makes a leader “great”?
Like many, I turned to my trusty search engine. Here’s what I found:
-
Harvard Business Review: 8 Essential Qualities of Successful Leaders
-
Center for Creative Leadership: 12 Characteristics of a Good Leader
-
Indeed: 20 Leadership Qualities That Make a Great Leader
-
BetterUp: 21 Qualities and Characteristics of a Good Leader
-
Forbes: 10 Unique Perspectives on What Makes a Great Leader
…so which is it? 8? 12? 20? 21? Or maybe 10?
Lucky for us, Richard Davis, a management psychologist, offered clarity in his article The Intangibles of Leadership (2020) for the American Management Association. He shared insights from 10 years of research on patterns in the attributes of people who succeed at the highest levels.
Two things stood out about Davis’s work:
-
Leaders are not cookie-cutter; there is no one “ideal” leader. Authenticity is key.
-
Each attribute comes with a development tip to help cultivate leadership habits.
Davis writes:
“Extraordinary leaders possess certain intangible qualities that often fall between the lines of traditional leadership models, so they can be hard to identify and even harder to develop.”
Let’s explore these qualities—Davis identifies 10 behaviors of truly great leaders:
1. Wisdom
Great leaders don’t just think about what happened—they think about why it happened.
2. Social Judgment
They can read people, understand what motivates them, and leverage that insight to achieve the best outcomes.
3. Integrity
Being true to one’s values opens doors, builds community, and fosters trust.
4. Presence
It’s not about dominating a room—it’s about others recognizing your purposeful presence.
5. Self-Insight
Knowing and accepting oneself—strengths and weaknesses alike—makes a leader more effective.
6. Executive Maturity
Leaders behave like adults, even when they don’t feel like it. They master their emotions and hold themselves accountable.
7. Fallibility
Everyone fails. Showing humanity and vulnerability builds trust and strengthens bonds with your team.
8. Will
The determination to see things through, no matter the challenge, sets the tone for the entire team.
9. Fortitude (Grit)
Talent alone isn’t enough. Enduring challenges and persisting builds confidence and achieves lasting results.
10. Self-Efficacy
Believing in your ability to succeed allows you to overcome fears that hold others back.
None of this is brain surgery, yet it’s surprisingly easy to overlook the quiet, intangible qualities that separate good leaders from great ones.
There are no shortcuts to success. While advantages like family connections may help, leadership and achievement come down to deliberate actions, behaviors, and habits. Those who commit to growth and authenticity ultimately rise to the top.
Leadership isn’t inherited—it’s cultivated through intentional behavior, self-awareness, and resilience.