In yesterday’s article we spent some time looking at what makes a high quality employee. Now we are going to move on, using a similar framework (based on Jack Welch again) to look at what makes a good leader.

Again, we are going to start by looking at those qualities that get you through the door. Without these inbuilt qualities the truth is that leadership will be nothing but a hard grind that will wear you down. Leadership is hard enough and individuals who seek to lead effectively will need to draw on much more of their inner resources than a regular employee. I reiterate that these are things in addition to the 4Es and P that were discussed yesterday

First and foremost a real leader needs to be authentic, to be real and honest with his people. This may at times mean exposing weaknesses, but always remaining true to their project. Those who are operating on fake pretences will soon be caught out and the worst of it all is that they will know they are being fake on the inside long before those on the outside will realise. In many ways this is very similar to what I wrote yesterday about integrity. Such people, because they live in reality, are often found to be more approachable as they look to have real conversations that drive things forwards.

Secondly a good leader has the ability to see around corners. Of course, a leader is not some kind of a soothsayer or a prophet, but they should have instincts that show them where something is heading so if necessary they can seize an opportunity or divert course to avoid impending disaster. In other words they should be able to read a situation in a big picture frame and act accordingly. Funnily enough sometimes it is not all about positivity, but a good dose of pessimism and scepticism (not cynicism) can help keep a leader grounded and able to see barriers or difficulties more readily when they come up. To not stay grounded runs the risk of occupying an ivory tower and losing touch and grip on reality.

Thirdly a leader should have a strong penchant be able to surround themselves with smarter people than they are. Nobody can be an expert in everything. What matters is that the team’s collective gene pool contains all of the necessary expertise. While I do not need to be a world beating expert at developing VBA projects on Excel I do need to have a basic grasp on them and their capabilities. That level of expertise is for somebody else on the team. In their discipline they need to be the best you can get.

Heavy duty resilience is the fourth essential quality because as they say it is tough at the top, it can also be very lonely, particularly in traditional hierarchies where subordinates all to often avoid all non-essential contact and this is especially true of senior leaders. To capture the thoughts of Billy Ocean’s song from the 1980s “when the going gets tough the tough get going” and this is exactly what is needed to push through and deliver and especially during season of challenge.

A willingness to submit to others, to be accountable, has be added. This is not one of Jack Welch’s characteristics but it is essential there should be checks and balances so that it doesn’t become a dictatorship or run out of control. A CEO with too much power and not enough accountability has licence to run astray, to be wasteful, embezzle and frankly do what he likes in his own little fiefdom. The need for this has never been more apparent than it is now in 2026, Putin is running amok and Trump, you have read my frequent posts about him, is even worse because he has disregarded convention, tradition and law to circumvent all the checks and measures that keep democracy healthy. I remind you at this juncture that Hitler gained power legitimately before he twisted it to his own ends and if you want to push it even further in the Star Wars universe this is exactly what the Emperor Palpatine did, he gained power legitimately and then manipulated it to his own ends.

And with that sober thought, as always stay safe and well my friends.