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 Hays latest Everest PEAK Matrix Rankings

Hays latest Everest PEAK Matrix Rankings 

Hays latest rankings in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix 2024

 
We are delighted to have been named as a Leader in both EMEA and APAC and Star Performer in EMEA of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024.
 
The assessment framework evaluates 26 RPO providers in EMEA and 27 in APAC based on their market impact, value delivered, scope of services, vision and capabilities, innovation and investment, and delivery footprint.
 
Everest Group selects Star Performers based on the relative year-on-year improvement in the PEAK Matrix, reflecting our commitment to meaningful innovation and our dedication to adding value to our partners in the EMEA region.
 
 

Resilience and expertise shine in EMEA and APAC

 
Commenting on our rankings Arkadev Basak, Partner at Everest Group, says:
 
“Despite challenging market conditions, Hays has performed very well in EMEA in 2023 and continued to demonstrate its expertise in hiring both blue collar and white collar roles across the region.
 
"Its organic investments to augment its technological capabilities, alongside its inorganic investments to further deepen its consulting offering by acquiring Vercida Consulting, have helped it to solidify its position as a Leader and Star Performer in Everest Group's Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 - EMEA.
  
"Hays has continued to create significant impact in Asia Pacific RPO market with its delivery capabilities in the region, coupled with its experience in manufacturing, government, and the BFSI domain.
 
"Its domain expertise, total talent acquisition capabilities, and value-added offerings have helped it secure its position as a Leader in Everest Group's Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024 - Asia Pacific."
 
 

Strategic growth & strengthening our DE&I services

 
Nigel Kirkham, CEO of Enterprise Solutions at Hays, says: 
 
"Being recognised by Everest Group as a Leader in both EMEA and APAC, and as a Star Performer in EMEA, underscores our relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in RPO services for our clients and partners in these regions and beyond. This accomplishment highlights our continuous efforts to provide businesses with workforce solutions tailored to their needs.
 
"Consistently ranking in the elite echelons of the PEAK Matrix reflects our collaborative spirit, commitment to integrating top-tier client-facing technology, and unwavering dedication to exceptional service. 
 
“Strategic investments, including our partnership with FAIRER Consulting, have solidified our position and significantly strengthened our service offering in the DE&I arena.”
 
“This success belongs to every member of our Global, APAC and EMEA teams. Their hard work, dedication, and commitment have been instrumental, and we couldn’t be prouder of their contributions.”
 
 

Explore the potential of RPO

 
At Hays, our Enterprise Solutions is committed to helping both organisations and individuals succeed as their lifelong partner. We leverage our deep market knowledge and expertise to build holistic talent strategies for thousands of complex organisations around the world, offering a comprehensive suite of workforce and advisory services. 
 
You can learn more about our services in our Introductory Guide to Successful RPO. The playbook delivers all you need to know, whether you're new to RPO or want to better understand how it can benefit your specific business.