What makes a great leader isn’t a question of position or power. It’s how you show up, what you stand for, and whether people choose to follow you.
Occupying a senior position in an organisation and having authority over others does confer leadership.
You only become a leader when you inspire others to follow you through choice not compliance.
Great leadership happens at all levels in an organisation.
Moreover, leadership is never about gender, ethnicity, seniority or technical abilities.
At Times I Could Have Been A Better Leader
Reflecting on my own leadership journey, I now realise that I could have been a better leader.
If you’re reading this and happen to have been in a team led by me, I apologise. My heart was in the right place, but I had an outdated concept of what being a good leader meant.
I believed that I needed to have all the right answers. But now I know good leaders ask the right questions and listen.
I mistakenly believed that to be successful you had to work harder, make sacrifices, and outcompete others. The truth is its cooperation rather than competition that counts.
Not only that but getting the best out of others comes from giving them permission to be different not pressurising them to conform.
In My Coaching Work I’m Often Asked, How Do I Lead Better?
Clients who explore this topic already know that occupying a leadership position is not the same thing as leading.
To become the leaders they aspire to be, involves letting go of the old notions of leadership and turning away from those quick-fix motivational memes.
So, What Makes a Great Leader?
Here’s what these coaching conversations have taught me about leading well in 2025:
1. Integrity
Integrity is the red thread of great leadership.
People judge leaders not by their words but by their everyday actions.
Integrity in leadership is about more than doing the right thing. It’s about setting the highest standards of openness, honesty and transparency.
Above all, integrity means acknowledging and rectifying mistakes and standing up for what’s right even when it might be expedient to look the other way.
2. Vision and Values
People need to know where they’re going and why it matters.
But a vision has to be more than just words on a website. If you want others to buy in, you need to show them you believe and you care.
That’s why the best leaders I work with don’t just talk about purpose; they live it. What’s more, they don’t compromise on values when things get hard because they know that’s when values matter most.
3. Emotional Intelligence
EQ is always more important than IQ because emotional intelligence brings out the human elements of leadership. For example:
- Listening to learn.
- Reading between the lines for what’s not been said.
- Staying calm when things go wrong.
- Remaining respectful when situations get heated.
When leaders genuinely understand how others feel, they create space for honest conversations. That’s where trust grows.
4. Trust
It’s important to understand the strength and the fragility of trust.
Trust builds over time with constant nurturing.
Ask yourself.
- Do you do what you say you’ll do?
- Do you give people space to speak honestly?
- Can you handle feedback without becoming defensive?
The answers to these questions matter. Because when trust is low, people withdraw. But when trust is high, they take initiative, support each other, and bring their best to work.
5. Accountability
Accountability is all about taking ownership.
Of course, leaders are rarely directly responsible for processes and projects, but they are always accountable for the outcomes.
That’s why great leaders don’t look for scapegoats. Instead, they look for learning opportunities.
Taking ownership in this way encourages others to step up too. It also puts a stop to two corrosive behaviours; ‘passing the buck’ and ‘the blame game’.
6. Flexibility
It’s not enough to be flexible. The best leaders are able to judge what to hold onto and what to let go of as circumstances change. I’ve coached leaders through restructuring, growth, setbacks, and even crises.
The leaders who do best stay anchored to their core values but remain open in their thinking. As a result, they’re not thrown off course by new ideas or shifting demands. They adapt, adjust and continue to move forward.
7. Coaching
Leadership used to mean having the answers. These days, it’s more about helping others find their own answers.
That’s why a coaching approach works well in so many different environments. It shifts the dynamic from telling to asking and from directing to developing.
Michael Bungay Stanier’s bestselling book ‘The Coaching Habit’ encourages leaders to ask a better question rather than rush to give a simplistic answer.
I’m still working to tame my own ‘advice monster’ and stay curious for longer.
Let’s not forget that the best answers usually come from those closest to the work. Asking rather than telling builds better leaders at every level.
In Summary
Great leadership is not defined by your job title, your years of experience, or your technical skill. It’s defined by your emotional intelligence and demonstrated in your everyday actions.
Great leaders lead with integrity, stay grounded in their values, and never lose sight of the human side of leadership.
They listen more than they speak. They ask better questions. And they know that real influence is earned, not imposed.
Leadership in 2025 is less about control and more about connection. If you want to become a better leader, place purpose, honesty, and empathy at the heart of everything you do and have the courage to keep listening and learning.
Further reading and references:
An Inside Out Approach to Leadership — McKinsey
The Art of 21st-Century Leadership — McKinsey
