13 Traits of Great Leaders: How the Best Transform the World

Leadership matters. Great leaders can inspire teams, drive performance, and cultivate a positive work culture. In fact, a recent survey found that companies with strong leaders had 30% better employee performance.

What’s more, the positive effects of great leadership echo far beyond the workplace, impacting communities and home life, too. Because the very best leaders have qualities that drive success in both work and personal contexts.

Are you ready to take your impact to the next level in 2025?

Read on to learn about the 13 most powerful traits of extraordinary leaders that impact their home life, work success and more.

The Impact of Great Leaders at Home and in the Community

The abilities and qualities that define great leaders often extend beyond the realms of professional success and public recognition. Their character also profoundly impacts their families and communities.

A leader’s resilience, empathy, and strategic thinking can directly influence their ability to cultivate strong, harmonious relationships. This ability also fosters a nurturing and supportive environment for their loved ones to thrive.

Great leaders embody values such as integrity, compassion, and effective communication. They set a powerful example for those around them. This inspires growth, understanding, and resilience at home and in their communities, too.

This interconnectedness between leadership acumen and personal relationships creates a ripple effect. It influences the success and happiness of families. It also fosters a culture of positivity, collaboration, and progress in the wider community.

Great leaders wield their influence in various places. They do so not only in the boardroom or political arena. Their influence is also seen in everyday interactions, connections, and contributions that shape society.

13 Characteristics of Extraordinary, Outstanding Leaders

Most of us have a working knowledge of the characteristics of good leaders. But understanding the characteristics of truly great leaders can elevate our game significantly. This knowledge enables us to achieve a greater impact and fulfillment in both personal and professional settings.

Today, we explore key characteristics that define outstanding leaders.

1. Great Leaders are Visionary and Strategic

Outstanding leaders build a clear and powerful vision that inspires their teams. They communicate their vision clearly, motivating everyone to work towards a common goal. Communicating such visions clearly makes them relatable and achievable for everyone involved.

Leaders must also create a feasible strategic plan supported by actionable objectives.

Strong leaders set goals that inspire and unite people. Outstanding leaders align their team’s efforts with clear objectives, ensuring everyone knows their role in the bigger picture.

Good leaders must be ready to change course when new information emerges.

Great leaders recognize these shifts as opportunities and adjust their plans accordingly.

At home, vision and strategy are equally essential and motivational. Setting clear goals with your partner or family helps align everyone towards common objectives. Demonstrating flexibility helps children and others learn to be resilient and open-minded in the face of challenges.

2. Great Leaders are Excellent Communicators

Strong communication supported by flexible techniques is vital in leadership. Successful leaders employ various communication methods tailored to their team’s needs. For instance, a directive approach may work in emergencies, while a participatory style might better suit a brainstorming session.

Research highlights that effective communication leads to better team performance and satisfaction.

Leaders should choose their communication style wisely, adapting based on the situation.

Leaders often focus on honing messaging, outbound communication strategies and their public speaking abilities. However, active listening is often a more critical component of communication for leaders. Good leaders speak well and deliver clear messages.

Great leaders engage in two-way communication often. They are vigilant about facilitating discussion among their teams. They make a conscious effort to actively listen and act on what they learn.

When good leaders practice active listening, they make team members feel valued, fostering a supportive environment.

Great leaders demonstrate their genuine interest in their team’s ideas and the priority they attach to their teams concerns through the actions that follow.

At home, active listening and effective communication are also strong success factors. We are all at our best when we feel comfortable sharing our ideas in a respectful and safe environment. We thrive when we feel heard and understood.

3. Great Leaders Demonstrate Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence sets great leaders apart. They understand others’ emotions and respond with empathy.

Improving emotional intelligence is a continuous process.

Leaders can adopt practices like self-reflection, journaling, and feedback from peers to enhance their emotional awareness and responsiveness.

At home and in the community, emotional intelligence pays great dividends. We all thrive when we feel appreciated, understood, and respected. Being the recipient of empathy, especially during difficult times, helps build loyalty, affection, and intimacy.

4. Great Leaders Build Trust and Strong Relationships

Building relationships is essential to a positive work environment. Strong leaders establish a foundation of trust, mutual respect, transparency, and collaboration. Studies reveal that teams with strong interpersonal connections report 50% higher job satisfaction. Great leaders naturally prioritize relationship-building to enhance team performance.

Trust is the foundation of all healthy relationships, especially the relationships we have with loved ones.

Being trustworthy, honest, and transparent is healthy. It promotes authenticity within our relationships with our partners. It also enhances our relationships with our children and parents. This honesty carries over into our interactions in the community and society as well. Being known as someone who keeps their promises in all aspects of life is a true differentiator.

5. Great Leaders are Self-Aware

Self-awareness is key for effective leadership. Leaders who understand their emotions, strengths, and challenges can better manage their reactions and interactions. Daniel Goleman emphasizes that emotional intelligence is more important than IQ in leadership.

Outstanding leaders exhibit control under pressure. Techniques like mindfulness and time management can help maintain composure, ensuring clear thinking during challenging times.

Being able to apply the skills necessary to stay actively self-aware helps in many areas. It improves our relationships at home. It also benefits our friendships and in the communities where we live.

6. Great Leaders are Ethical and Lead by Example

Ethical behavior inspires trust. Great leaders understand their actions set the tone. Statistics show ethical leadership boosts employee morale and retention rates significantly. When leaders walk the talk, they motivate others to follow suit.

Research shows that ethical leaders also significantly impact employee engagement and organizational performance.

Ethical behavior is an essential characteristic to model for our children, and it helps build trust in all who we interact with. As the saying goes, we are all at our best when we do what is right, whether or not anyone is looking.

7. Great Leaders Own Their Responsibilities

Great leaders own their decisions. They admit mistakes and learn from them. For example, Howard Schultz of Starbucks faced backlash for controversial decisions yet took responsibility and worked to restore trust. This accountability reinforces credibility and inspires others to be accountable.

When faced with tough decisions, ethical leaders apply a structured approach. They weigh the potential outcomes. They also seek input from their team.

This practice enhances decision-making credibility.

Taking ownership of responsibility is an essential behavior to model for our children.

It enables them to mature and also builds self-confidence as they take on age-appropriate responsibilities. Establishing chores and habits for a child to perform regularly helps them understand their role. They see that they are active contributors to the household. Later in life, this can also help instill the drive to contribute to the community and society in general.

8. Great Leaders Foster a Culture of Accountability

Leaders create environments where everyone is accountable. Establishing clear expectations and regular check-ins maintains focus. Encouraging feedback and open communication empowers teams to take ownership of their work.

Accountability breeds trust. When leaders own their decisions and their consequences, they inspire their teams to do the same.

As Patrick Lencioni states, “Leaders should never be surprised by the knot in their own stomach when they’re not held accountable.”

The same holds true at home. When we screw up or neglect to follow through, it’s essential that we admit it and make it right. These types of behaviors model accountability to our children and help us to build strong mutual respect with others.

9. Great Leaders are Resilient

Resilience is essential when facing adversity. Great leaders view failure as a learning opportunity. Those who perceive setbacks as lessons tend to recover more robustly. They lead more effectively. Great leaders navigate these challenges with grace.

Resilience may be one of the most valuable characteristics to model for our children as well as our teams.

Failure is essential for effective learning and ultimately, success. Teaching our kids that we never get things perfectly right the first time and embracing the process of continual improvement will greatly improve their odds of success in all aspects of life.

10. Great Leaders are Sound Decision Makers

In high-pressure situations, sound decision-making is vital. Leaders who remain calm can analyze situations more effectively. Research shows that strong leaders can make better choices even in chaotic environments, keeping their teams steady. Outstanding leaders are decisive, even under pressure.

Strong decision-making skills serve us well as home as well.

Showing a commitment to principles and values is important. Consistently making decisions that align with them demonstrates this. It helps our children see that having the strength of our convictions is essential. Being calm and methodical in the face of adversity is crucial. Bringing our best to bear while making difficult decisions can help our children. They learn from our example to approach challenges systematically and with grace.

11. Great Leaders Empower and Develop Others

Effective delegation boosts productivity. Great leaders trust their teams and assign tasks based on individual strengths. Statistics reveal that organizations with effective delegation experience 25% higher team productivity.

Great leaders know how to delegate tasks based on team members’ strengths. This practice not only empowers individuals but also optimizes team performance.

This enables team members to develop new skills, strengthening the team’s overall capability.

Empowerment fosters initiative and creativity. Great leaders encourage team members to take ownership of their tasks and celebrate their successes, creating a culture of autonomy.

At home, learning to delegate and empower our children can be a game-changer. Having children actively contribute to keeping the family home neat and clean from an early age instills these behaviors. This habit will help them maintain calm and reduce stress in their environment as adults, too.

12. Great Leaders Create a Positive Work Environment

Investing in team members’ growth is key. Good leaders act as mentors, offering guidance and support. Successful companies often have formal mentoring programs that foster talent development, driving long-term success.

Great leaders recognize the importance of continuous learning. They provide opportunities for professional development, ensuring their teams have the tools to succeed.

Effective feedback is also key for growth.

Leaders should offer constructive, actionable insights that empower their team members to improve continuously. Fostering a culture that values learning encourages team members to share knowledge and pursue personal growth, driving overall success.

Leaders shape work culture. They create environments that promote collaboration and support. Research shows positive workplaces enhance employee engagement and satisfaction. A nurturing atmosphere encourages continuous learning, growth and improvement.

Strong Leaders Encourage Creativity

Encouraging creativity within a team leads to fresh ideas. Leaders should create an environment where team members feel safe to express innovative thoughts and to pursue activities that include some level of risk.

Being open to experimentation is vital for growth.

Leaders should promote an atmosphere where trying new approaches is embraced rather than feared and follow through by doing their best to implement innovations effectively. This process not only drives progress but also inspires teams to think outside the box.

Needless to say, creating a warm and welcoming environment at home is essential to the nurturing of our family.

Children must feel safe to achieve their full potential. We owe it to our children to create an environment of safety. This benefits them and society. We should also encourage creativity and innovation in all that they do.

13. Great Leaders Have a Results Orientation

Establishing measurable goals is key to progress. Leaders should work with teams to create achievable objectives and regularly evaluate their progress.

Regular performance reviews and constructive feedback help maintain accountability and enhance team performance.

Recognizing achievements boosts team morale. Celebrating both small and large victories helps keep motivation high and encourages continued effort.

We must also do our best to appropriately recognize achievement in our children.

This is not to say that we should perpetually reward them for satisfying their responsibilities, per se. Their needs to be differentiation between appreciation for doing with is expected of them vs. rewards for going above and beyond and doing their best. Their personal best is not some arbitrary level of accomplishment. It is the best they can do. We should always emphasize achievement in terms of improvement and effort. This is in contrast to metrics that may not apply consistently to all children.

At no time should love or affection be conditional on achievement, however. Our children thrive and blossom when we demonstrate that our love for them is universal, abundant and constant.

Examples of Outstanding Leaders

Throughout history, many inspiring figures have commanded respect on the public stage. They also demonstrated remarkable strength and compassion at home.

• One such exceptional example is Eleanor Roosevelt. Her unwavering dedication to social justice and human rights as the longest serving First Lady of the United States was evident. She also excelled in her role as a devoted wife and mother. Her influential leadership extended beyond the political sphere, as she deftly navigated the complexities of public life while prioritizing her family and raising six children.

• Another remarkable figure is Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany. Her astute leadership on the global stage was balanced by her commitment to her husband the privacy of her family. Merkel’s ability to command respect in the political arena while upholding her role as a caring wife and mother exemplified the nuanced strength of female leaders.

• Additionally, Indira Gandhi, as the first female Prime Minister of India, displayed extraordinary resilience and fortitude in leading her nation. She also showed remarkable strength in her personal life, balancing the demands of a political career with her familial roles.

These leaders serve as poignant reminders that true greatness is not defined solely by public accolades and achievements but also by the strength and humility displayed in the intimate realm of family and relationships.

How to be an Outstanding Leader

The characteristics of outstanding leaders—vision, communication, decisiveness, integrity, emotional intelligence, delegation, resilience, mentorship, innovation, and results orientation—are essential for achieving both personal and professional success.

Developing these traits as part of a comprehensive personal development plan can transform leaders, their teams, their homes, and communities, leading to increased performance, satisfaction, and success in all aspects of life.

Leadership Call to Action

As leaders, we are entrusted with a profound responsibility to guide and inspire those around us. To shape not only the success of our organizations and teams but also the well-being of our communities and beyond. It is time for us to heed the call. To evolve from good leaders to great leaders, to strive for excellence in every way. At home, at work, and in the communities where we live.

Perhaps a singular description of how to lead effectively across all facets of life is to simply be present.

When we are present, we are engaged, attentive, aware, and authentic. We more naturally demonstrate empathy and resilience. Our impact is elevated because we are all-in. We bring our best. Attend to details. Observe and process. Listen carefully. Incorporate feedback. Foster innovation and empowerment with everyone we interact with.

Let’s not squander the wider impact our leadership can have and work to extend our influence to enrich the fabric of our communities, too. Make it your life’s work to champion positive change and foster a legacy of compassion and progress.

The time is now to rise to commit to the pursuit of true greatness in leadership to ensure a brighter, more harmonious future for generations to come.

Thank you as always for reading.

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