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There are several names for what is considered good leadership: servant leadership, courageous leadership, situational leadership, agile leadership. Most of these terms and leadership styles are spot on with what we talk about here on what it means to be a great and effective leader. When we compare and contrast these models, there is a great deal of community and overlap. For a more all encompassing term, when we are referring to true leadership we are describing a transformational leader. A transformational leader refers to all the leadership traits required for the leadership roles in an organization as opposed to the role of a manager. These are the leadership qualities even those without authority can possess to enact change versus operational leadership with the associated management skills given to you through the authority of your organization. These are the qualities and attributes that we see in the greatest leaders and what we can strive towards to bring out our best selves.  

Another complication of describing leadership is not only are that there are a bunch of terms, but there are also hundreds of models out there and no shortage of books to describe different leadership skills and leadership styles. Instead of redescrbiing just one, we collected the best of the best. Our leadership definition comes is based on traits and qualities of effective leadership that have been backed by research and reinforced by leadership experts.  We synthesized what was in common about all of these and summed up in the framework below. Again, let's not confuse leadership and management. This is about the definition of leadership and may not line up to what would make a good manager in a large organization.

The Transformational Leader: Key Leadership Skills

A great leader is one that sets a direction, inspires others, has the courage to know and be themselves, builds a team they can delegate authority to, embraces the humility to let the team own the success, takes the time to coach and develop those around them, and garners trust with those around them.  Different leaders will have very different leadership styles. We are not proposing everyone has the same style, but rather that strong leadership will present with key traits. These qualities can be developed and each is important to be a truly great leader. Here is the overall guide and model to help aid you in developing your own skills. 

Know thyself 

To truly lead others you need to first understand who you are and be able to lead yourself.  Leadership requires you to take time to know your purpose and values, what you stand for. Being a transformational leader also means being resilient. This is developing your ability to adapt and embrace change by continually reflecting on your strengths and weaknesses and taking the time to learn new skills. We all have blind spots, therefore, make sure you have a challenge network that can serve as a mirror and a source of knowledge to expand your abilities. Also, make sure you are taking care of yourself, prioritizing and managing your time. You cannot take care of others if you are depleting yourself. As they say, put on your own oxygen mask first before helping those around you. 

Key skills: finding your why, defining your values, growth mindset, time management, self-care

Know others

The first step to being a successful leader is first building relationships with those around you. Whether those are people that are your direct reports or peers or other leaders and managers, every leader needs to build trust with their teams and adjust their styles based on the situation, work environment, and needs of the team. This means understanding what drives those around you. It’s building a level of trust with others. It’s the ability to lead with empathy by honing your emotional intelligence (EQ). It's building your capacity to listen and listen first. 

Key skills: listening, EQ, leading with empathy, building trust, developing relationships

Grow others

Now that you have established relationships with others, it is now your primary duty as a leader to grow others. This is a key area of defining what a leadership isn't. Leadership isn't telling your team what to do, it's the ability to lead your team through coaching and developing others. A great leader is one that spends their time ensuring those around them are developing the skills to be the best versions of themselves and encouraging team members to create and be part of the best teams. Great leaders know that one of the hallmarks of their success is not in completing a task but in enabling their employees to grow, giving them the ability to think for themselves, and the tools to act. Coaching and growing others will have far more lasting impact than just managing a team to meet a transactional management objective.  The art of growing others not only includes how to coach and guide a team, but also how to lead through example which requires a heck of a lot of courage and vulnerability. 

Key skills: coaching, giving feedback, team leadership, crucial conversations, delegation, humility and courage

Sow a vision

The final quadrant is the one people often mistake as the only attribute of leadership. This is the more visible aspect to those on the outside. This is the ability to set and achieve a vision and inspire people to act. While important to do this well, it is worth noting if you have not spent most of your time developing the other aspects of quality leadership, this will likely not be successful. After all, anyone can state a vision and direction but if no one follows, does it matter? Once you have developed your own purpose and why, you can then create a vision and set the course for your team. Set a vision the team can strive towards and help guide them on goals that work toward achieving that vision.  These set of skills requires the ability to see the big pictures, understand how the organization as a whole works to achieve the big picture, and be able to effectively communicate the direction of where the company is headed.

Key skills: foresight, conceptualizing, strategic thinking, goal setting, OKRs, effective communication skills

Become a better leader: Getting started on the path to great leadership

The first two of these quadrants are absolutely foundational. You cannot lead others until you have developed a high-level of competence in knowing and caring for yourself and knowing and building relationships with others. For instance, you can try to coach others but they won’t be receptive if they do not trust you. You can also try to state a vision and get people to follow, but that will be difficult if your value system is all over the place and your why is unclear and changes. So if you want to become a better leader, spend time developing your skills in these quadrants. In fact, great leaders will still spend a good portion of their time bettering these skills. Most great leaders throughout history spend a portion of their day meditating or journalling, helping them know and take care of themselves and reflect on situations and relationships around them.  

Another great next step, is to take the model and do a reflection on where you stand in each quadrant. Reflect using the lens of a specific situation. For instance, your leadership stance, ability, and position may be very different in your current employment than it is in a community organization you belong to. Using this assessment, you can create a plan on which leadership skills you feel need to be developed more. Do this reflection at regular intervals to create continual improvement in your journey. We also recommend formal training and coaching. Even professional athletes have coaches, in fact, the best have multiple to help both hone specific skills as well as hold them accountable. Similarly to grow your personal and professional leadership skills, a coach can be a great asset. Great leadership is not easy and skills must be practiced all the time. 

Leadership Resources

When looking at great leadership, the concepts from these researchers and authors served as our inputs: Leaders Eat Last, Leading Without Authority, Think Again, The Coaching Habit. Additional books to help develop skills

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