16 Answers To What is Good Leadership?

By Linda Fisher Thornton

The theme I noticed in the most viewed posts on this blog in 2018 was Looking For a Better Kind of Leadership. Google reported that the most popular Google searches in 2018 were about how we can be good people. It sounds like it’s a great time to explore the question “What is Good Leadership? 

While it’s tempting to over simplify leadership and think about it as any one thing, good leadership can only be fully understood by thinking about it in multiple ways. Here is a starter list of 16 defining characteristics of good leadership:

1. Purposeful

2. Ethical 

3. Intentional

4. Thoughtful

5. Meaningful

6. Respectful

7. Caring

8. Open

9. Invites Dialogue

10. Globally Responsible

11. Up-to-Date

12. Trustworthy

13. Culturally Inclusive

14. Ethically Inspiring

15. Embraces and Adapts To Context and Complexity

16. Continual Learner

This list of 16 is designed to get you thinking. There are many more characteristics we could add. Think about great leaders you’ve had in the past (or not). What defining characteristics of good leadership would you add to this list? Share your ideas in the comments!

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