What defines a good leader? Look for these six qualities

WHAT DEFINES A GOOD LEADER? LOOK FOR THESE SIX QUALITIES

Modern business challenges can require new approaches. Leadership will need to evolve in order to continue to guide organisations in tomorrow's world of work. But what are the characteristics of a good modern leader in the workplace - and how can organisations develop them? 

Many studies draw parallels between effective leadership and solid organisational performance. But whether they’re a junior manager or a senior executive, the qualities that leaders need are changing.
 
Nearly 1,500 HR professionals ranked leadership development as the number one priority for 2025, with managers feeling 'overwhelemed' by the expansion of their responsibilities. In today’s unpredictable world, you must combine traditional leadership skills with new abilities. So, what does an effective modern leader look like?
 

1. Remember what makes a good leader

Before looking at the new skills future leaders may need, it is worth reflecting on what a leader actually is.
 
What are the qualities of a good leader? It’s not what you may think.
 
Being in charge of colleagues does not necessarily make you a ‘leader’. Former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg explains: “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”
 
Retired astronaut Chris Hadfield believes that good leadership is: “Not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it. Especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter.”
 
There may be varying opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of leaders. But overall, most people believe that great leaders motivate their team members to perform their best and achieve common goals.
 
What traits do you need to achieve this in the modern workplace?
 

2. Use blended leadership styles for a VUCA world 

Stacey Philpot from Deloitte Consulting maintains that the core skills needed historically in leadership roles have remained unchanged.
 
“These skills allow someone to become a leader faster than their peers. This is even true in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment,” she says.
 
The core skills for leading in a VUCA environment include:
 
  • Pattern recognition
  • Motivation
  • Agility
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Ability to understand, control and express emotions
 
This represents psychological assessments of 23,000 senior leaders globally over the past 25 years.
 
Consider introducing servant leadership:
 
Leaders need new styles of leadership to deal with changing cultures. Being comfortable with not having the answer and owning failure can create an environment of trust and openness.
 
Collectively, these behaviours form ‘servant leadership’. The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) defines servant leadership as emphasising behaviours and values such as:
 
  • Active listening
  • Empathy
  • Leading by example
 
These are instead of opting for a more authoritative, ‘command-and-control’ leadership style. Leaders create the conditions for team members to excel by displaying vulnerability. But given the stigma around servant leadership, how can organisations encourage it?
 
How to combat stigma surrounding servant leadership:
 
Alsu Polyakova, HR Leader for GE Healthcare, says reducing stigma around servant leadership will take a specific strategy. Most importantly frequent performance appraisals for leaders.
 
“We give leaders lots of opportunities for self-reflection, so they understand how they behave,” she says. GE Healthcare’s most successful leaders help to encourage behavioural change, Polyakova says. The company measures success by how well employees rate leaders on achieving GE Healthcare’s ‘cultural pillars’. These pillars include inspiring trust and empowering employees.
 

3. Create a culture of trust in the workplace

Gaining workers’ trust is more important than ever. One way to build trust is for leaders to take action on issues such as climate change. 71 percent of employees consider their CEOs’ social awareness as critically important, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.
 
Social awareness may yield rich rewards. The Edelman poll shows that workers who trust their employers are far more engaged and remain more loyal than their more sceptical peers.
 
Leadership styles are clearly changing. The most effective leaders will need to tailor their styles to suit different scenarios, says Professor Sattar Bawany. “Leaders need a broad repertoire of management styles and the wisdom to know when each style should be used,” he says. “In crisis scenarios like cybersecurity breaches, for example, leadership should be authoritarian because the scenario is unstructured.”
 

4. Adapt your leadership style for different generations

Managers must also balance leadership styles to suit different generations. Modern workplaces will soon house up to five generations under one roof. Therefore, there will be many people with differing preferences on leadership style.
 
As of 2023, millennials are the biggest group in the UK workforce, at 35 percent. Modern leaders must mix old and new leadership styles that meet the needs of younger generations. Doing so will future proof organisations. However, new leadership approaches cannot come at the expense of alienating older workers.
 

5. Commit to lifelong learning

With the workplace evolving so rapidly, leaders cannot rely on past experience alone to get by. Ben Farmer, Head of HR at Amazon UK agrees: “Experience is not always synonymous with wisdom and judgement. And naivety doesn’t always engender novel thinking and openness to change.”
 
Organisations should look for leaders who understand the future as well as those with experience. “Success comes from the ability to combine understanding of exciting, new trends with the experience required to put that knowledge into action,” says Farmer.
 
But what is the right balance? There is no one-size-fits-all approach when balancing experience with adaptability. Achieving the right balance will mostly depend on the organisation and the sector it operates in.
 

6. Be conscious of culture

Organisational culture is an important factor. Risk-averse firms may prefer experience over novel thinking. Leaders may be fearful of a backlash from stakeholders should novel thinking fail. To lower risk, companies should seek leaders who use both scientific evidence and intuition when making decisions.
 
Ultimately, there’s no single blueprint for an effective modern leader. Each organisation must tailor their approach to leadership development. There must be a focus on organisational culture, industry nuances and employee mix.
 
But above all, leaders should recognise that today’s reality may be old news tomorrow.
 
 

For more expert advice, take a look at the following articles: 

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null How will you harness the Human Cloud?

HOW WILL YOU HARNESS THE HUMAN CLOUD?

Requiring only a computer and a Wi-Fi connection, the Human Cloud is said to provide a new way in which to get work done. Offering organisations access to talent via an online marketplace, advocates of the Human Cloud have stated that we are on the threshold of a flexible working revolution, with people once again taking ownership of the means of production.

But new methods will require a change in perception from hiring managers.

With the popularity of platforms surging in recent years, we tackle some of the most frequently asked questions surrounding the Human Cloud. We’ve also called on the expertise of Global and Americas Head of Solutions, Robert Moffat, to offer his industry-leading insights.

 

What is the Human Cloud?

Rob: ‘The Human Cloud’ refers to the growing number of online marketplaces that facilitate a transaction between the buyer (the organisation) and the seller (the worker). Now a single ‘job’ can be split into a series of projects, with members of the Human Cloud executing distinct tasks, on demand, from anywhere in the world.

A Human Cloud can take several forms, including:

  • Talent Platforms – where organisations can search and connect with a pool of talent and skills.
  • Work Service Platform – mediating a service request with a service output. Examples include Uber and Deliveroo.
  • Crowdsourcing Platform – a challenge is posted to the platform by an organisation, with individuals submitting their ideas in a bid to secure work.
     

While the type of Human Cloud may vary, they are often united by the following criteria:

  • Facilitate peer-to-peer transactions through a website or mobile application.
  • Rely on user-based ratings.
  • Manage the relationship from sourcing through payment.
     

 

Is the Human Cloud a new phenomenon?

Far from it. In fact, Human Clouds have been around for more than a decade.

But what has changed is the rate of adoption and innovation. According to Staffing Industry Analysts, B2B Talent Platforms generated $10.7 billion in spend in 2020. In 2022, the worldwide Talent Platform market is anticipated to reach a scale of $15.1 billion.

Rob: Like many workforce trends of late, the Coronavirus pandemic has been a key catalyst in the growing acceptance of Human Clouds. The worldwide work from home experiment has removed many of the preconceptions surrounding remote work and distributed teams.

In the wake of the pandemic, some individuals are also seeking greater control over their careers. Many workers operating on these sites are young and using platforms to supplement their income. The Human Cloud is useful for those eager to hone ‘side-hustles’ and ‘slash careers’.

Technology, unsurprisingly, also has a role to play. Data-driven worker ratings, for example, allow organisations to identify and connect with top talent in just a few clicks.

Technology has also had a more nuanced impact on the uptake of the Human Cloud. As we innovate at an increasingly rapid pace, tech cycles have contracted, shortening the shelf-life of many skills. The Human Cloud enables organisations to access top talent, without the financial and operational commitments associated with a permanent employee.

 

Can the Human Cloud better the world of work?

The Human Cloud certainly offers an array of benefits that could improve the experience for organisations and workers alike.

Diversity is at the core of many Human Cloud conversations. Talent platforms have granted a sense of agency to anyone with an internet connection. With the ability to determine when and where they work, Human Cloud workers can balance their career with other commitments. This is especially useful for those who may be housebound, have additional caring responsibilities or are located in areas in which employment is scarce.

The ratings system embedded into many Talent Platforms has also been linked to improved social mobility. For those who do not have a degree from a top university, ‘or even a degree at all’, reviews and recommendations offer alternative evidence of ability.

Rob: For organisations, the Human Cloud offers access to highly skilled individuals from across the globe, that may have otherwise been missed by traditional, “localised” sourcing methods. In industries where skills are scarce, the pools of talented freelancers created by the Human Cloud are hugely appealing.

 

What are the hazards associated with the Human Cloud?

As with any staffing solution, the Human Cloud is not without risk.

Employment law, already struggling to regulate the changing world of work, is in many cases lagging behind the complexities of the Human Cloud. It is becoming increasingly difficult for legislators to determine who is completing the work, where they are based and if (or where) they are paying tax.

Security concerns also extend to the security of information. Organisations are reliant on a virtual worker, which could increase the likelihood of an intellectual property leak.

Considerations must also be made for the sharing of data. Legislative safeguards such as GDPR offer enhanced protection to customers. A failure to protect sensitive information as it is shared across increasingly blurred borders runs the risk of severe financial and reputational damage.

Talent platforms are taking steps to mitigate this risk, however, with more stringent requirements placed on individuals. Legal agreements adhering to IP regulations are commonplace amongst platforms, and organisations themselves are taking steps in the form of nondisclosure agreements.

 

How can we make the Human Cloud work?

Rob: The advantages of the Human Cloud are evident, but the challenge presented to organisations is how to integrate this as part of their talent ecosystem to leverage these perks, while maintaining a manageable level of risk.

It is not an easy problem to solve. The North America Staffing Company survey conducted by SIA demonstrated that while 86% of firms indicated awareness of the Human Cloud, nearly half were not interested in pursuing a strategy to incorporate these platforms.

To fully harness the Human Cloud and scale expanded usage of talent platforms, organisations will need to develop processes and internal infrastructure to promote usage. This will require cross-functional support from HR, legal and procurement teams, which could push already overstretched teams to their limit.

Rob: Workforce management providers such as Hays have an important role to play in balancing risk and agility.

With extensive knowledge of the market and an array of tools and technologies at our disposal, we can assist organisations in incorporating top talent from the Human Cloud as part of their wider workforce strategy.

 

Quick, cheap or high-quality? It’s your choice

Rob: As with many services, you typically have three desired outcomes: you can have it quick, cheap, or done to a high-quality. Often, you can pick two, but rarely all three.

Our clients face a similar conundrum when it comes to their workforce strategy. To increase organisational agility and leverage cost efficiencies does not necessarily equate to a reduction in quality, but it may require an adjusted approach to risk.

If you’d like to discuss how Hays can help you strive for all three, contact us today.

 

AUTHOR

Robert Moffat
Global and Americas Head of Solutions, Enterprise Solutions at Hays
With a 25 year track record of designing, implementing and managing talent services Robert has a wealth of knowledge on the challenges and opportunities facing employers in maintaining a competitive advantage in talent acquisition, engagement and retention.

As Global Head of Solutions Robert is part of the global leadership team responsible for innovation and product development and as Head of Sales, Solutions and Marketing for the Americas he is responsible for growth of the region. Having lived and worked for Hays in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Americas he is able to bring a diverse range of thought and experience to the new challenges in the world or work.

He has a passion for new ideas, markets and opportunities and has been instrumental in a number of Hays’ recent global projects including the roll out of a Global Operating Method, Supplier Engagement Strategy, the evolution of our direct sourcing approach and a quick deploy RPO service for start-up and high growth companies.

 

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