10 Leadership Strengths That Set Great Leaders Apart
Organizations need leaders who set high expectations while supporting the people responsible for meeting them. Balancing both is difficult, and few leaders get it right. FranklinCovey research finds that only 7% of leaders are rated as demonstrating both high performance expectations and high care for their teams.
Actively working to develop leadership strengths helps leaders close that gap, and specific skills help leaders meet expectations while bringing out the best in their teams. The 10 leadership strengths below illustrate how leaders can improve their approach and make a greater impact.
Key Takeaways:
- Leadership strengths are skills leaders develop through consistent practice and demonstrate through their decisions and interactions with others.
- Any leadership strength can become a weakness if used in the wrong situation; leaders need to know when to adjust their approach.
- Teams perform best when leaders use their strengths alongside the complementary strengths of their team members.
What Are Leadership Strengths?
Leadership strengths are the behaviors leaders regularly exhibit that help their teams succeed. These strengths show up in everyday decisions, from how leaders communicate and guide their teams to how they set priorities and delegate work.
Leaders can develop the natural patterns in how they think, feel, or behave into strengths by building the knowledge and experience needed to use them effectively. They can also develop leadership strengths they might not naturally possess through learning and practice. A strengths-based approach helps leaders build on what they already do well while addressing weaknesses that could limit their effectiveness. The goal here isn’t to be good at everything. It’s to recognize where your strengths have the greatest impact and where you need to grow.
Research reinforces the importance of focusing on the right behaviors. A recent study found that four leadership behaviors explained 89% of the difference in leadership effectiveness between strong and weak organizations. Understanding your own leadership strengths and challenges, and taking steps to further develop them, can enable you to close gaps in both individual behaviors and team results.
Download our insight report, Where Are All the Great Leaders?, to learn how organizations develop great leadership at every level in an era of erosion.
10 Essential Leadership Strengths That Distinguish Great Leaders
Are leaders born or made? This is a false dichotomy—leaders are neither born nor made. Leaders choose to be leaders.
Leadership strengths show up in the everyday decisions that shape how a team works, from setting priorities to navigating change. Great leaders put these strengths into practice to keep their teams focused, build trust, and move work forward. The following examples show what each strength looks like in the workplace.
1. Setting Clear Priorities
Great leaders keep their teams focused on the goals that matter most instead of spreading their attention across too many competing priorities. During weekly reviews, they assess progress toward key goals and adjust the team’s focus when needed.
2. Following Through on Commitments
Reliable leaders follow through on their commitments and communicate early when plans need to change. For example, if a leader promises project feedback by Friday, they deliver it on time or let the team know in advance if they need to adjust the deadline. Following through consistently helps employees plan their work and trust that their leader will do what they say.
3. Making Timely Decisions
Effective leaders know when they have enough information to make a decision, and they avoid letting discussions drag on indefinitely. If a decision stalls during a project meeting, the leader identifies who will make the call and sets a deadline for reaching it. This keeps work moving while giving the team clear direction on what happens next.
4. Communicating Direction
Clear communication helps employees understand what they’re working toward, why it matters, and how their contributions support broader organizational goals. Before assigning tasks, a leader explains the desired outcome and how the work fits into the bigger picture. FranklinCovey research shows that 92% of employees spend multiple hours each week waiting for clarity or resolving misalignment. With clear context from their leaders, employees can make better day-to-day decisions without needing approval at every step.
5. Delegating Ownership
Strong leaders delegate ownership rather than simply handing out tasks. They give employees responsibility for an outcome along with the authority to make decisions and determine how to get there. For example, when an employee brings a problem to a 1-on-1 meeting, the leader helps them think through possible solutions instead of immediately taking over. This gives employees room to build confidence and develop their decision-making skills.
6. Building Trust Through Consistency
Leaders build trust by acting consistently and applying the same principles when making decisions, especially under pressure. Yet FranklinCovey research finds that only 42% of employees view their own leaders as trusted. When a project falls behind, for instance, a trustworthy leader holds everyone accountable to the same standards, including themselves. Employees are more likely to trust decisions when they see that expectations are fair and consistently applied.
7. Coaching Others to Grow
Effective leaders coach employees to reach their potential by helping them work through challenges rather than immediately providing answers. During a 1-on-1, great leaders listen to an employee’s concerns, ask questions to explore possible solutions, and help them identify a clear next step. Regular, specific feedback helps employees recognize what they’re doing well and where they can improve. Over time, coaching builds employees’ confidence and prepares them to take on greater responsibilities.
8. Seeking Different Perspectives
Strong leaders seek input from the people closest to the work before making important decisions. During a planning session, for example, a leader should invite team members to challenge a proposal and raise concerns before the group commits to a plan. These conversations can reveal risks that might otherwise go unnoticed. Before setting a new launch date, a leader might ask the team which steps caused delays during the previous release and use that feedback to create a more realistic timeline.
9. Solving Problems Effectively
Effective problem solvers look beyond immediate symptoms to understand what’s really causing an issue. They gather the relevant information, identify the root cause, and help the team determine a practical solution. For example, if a project repeatedly misses deadlines, a leader investigates where the process breaks down and works with the team to address the underlying problem. This helps prevent the same issue from disrupting future projects.
10. Leading Through Change
Effective leaders help their teams navigate change by clarifying what it means for their work and identifying the next steps. When a reorganization occurs, for example, a leader explains what’s changing, what will stay the same, and what the team needs to focus on first. FranklinCovey research reveals that only 13% of leaders treat disruption as a strategic opportunity. Leaders who help their teams adapt can move beyond managing uncertainty and identify ways to make progress amid changing circumstances.
Download our guide, Too Much Disruption, Too Little Leadership, to reveal how leaders can build the leadership habits that drive engagement and results in uncertain times.
How Leaders Identify Their Leadership Strengths
Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character.
Leadership strength assessments and character surveys help leaders identify what they do well and put those strengths into words. But assessment results are only a starting point. Leaders gain a clearer picture when they compare those results with feedback from the people they work with.
Some assessments focus on how leaders respond to change. For example, a self-assessment based on the behaviors of leaders who turn disruption into an advantage can help leaders recognize their existing strengths and identify areas for improvement. Self-reflection adds another layer of insight. Leaders can consider which responsibilities energize them, where they consistently deliver strong results, and which tasks they tend to put off. A 360-degree review adds feedback from colleagues and team members, helping leaders see whether others recognize the same strengths they see in themselves. Leadership coaching can also give leaders additional opportunities to identify their strengths and areas for development.
Discover your unique disruptive strengths and leverage them for success with FranklinCovey’s Disruptor Profile assessment.
Common Challenges That Can Limit Leadership Effectiveness
Leadership strengths and weaknesses are closely connected. A strength can easily become a weakness when a leader overuses it or applies it without considering what the situation or team needs.
Common leadership strengths that can backfire include:
- Decisiveness with too little room for team input
- Attention to detail that leads to micromanagement
- Confidence that results in dismissal of opposing viewpoints
- Excessive support that allows for ongoing low performance
Leaders can manage these challenges and improve their effectiveness by:
- Delegating responsibilities to team members whose strengths complement their own
- Partnering with colleagues who offer different skills and perspectives
- Using tools and routines to address known challenges, such as a decision log or scheduled reviews
Building Better Teams Through Complementary Strengths
No single leader has every strength a team needs to be successful. Effective leaders recognize the strengths of each team member and use them to build a more capable, well-rounded team. For example, when staffing a new project, a leader might pair someone who excels at strategic planning with someone who specializes in execution, helping the team connect its vision to practical results.
Leaders who develop the strengths of others also prepare their teams to take on greater responsibility over time. As employees build their skills and confidence, they become better equipped to make decisions independently and handle challenges without always needing their leader’s input.
Leaders Own the Practice Behind Their Strengths
Effectiveness is no longer optional. The call and need of a new era is for greatness.
Leadership strengths lose value when leaders stop refining them, and employees notice when a leader’s approach no longer fits the work in front of the team. As team needs and workplace norms change, leaders must continue to hone how they use their strengths to support their teams.
Great leaders regularly reflect on how their actions impact their team’s performance. They recognize where their strengths helped the team succeed and where a different approach might have worked better. Organizations can support this growth by giving leaders opportunities to practice new behaviors and apply what they learn.
Discover how FranklinCovey helps develop great leaders at every level to align teams around purpose and priorities for long-term results.