Source: C. Simpson
Globally Ranked Executive Coach
Some leaders are the same person on a good day and a bad one. A lot are just convincing until you catch them on an off day.
Most team members can name their leader's job title. Few can name what actually makes them worth working for.
Here are 9 signs a great leader consistently does, and 9 signs worth measuring yourself against too:
1️⃣ Makes Room For People To Outgrow Their Role
↳ Names someone's next step before they have to ask for it.
↳ Never treats another person's growth as a threat.
2️⃣ Asks Before Deciding
↳ Brings people into the decision instead of just the announcement.
↳ Would rather be slowed down by input than move fast without it.
3️⃣ Tells The Truth Before Being Asked
↳ Flags the problem before anyone has to go looking for it.
↳ Never lets someone be the last to know something that affects them.
4️⃣ Welcomes Disagreement
↳ Does not punish pushback with distance or coldness.
↳ Sees being challenged as a sign the team trusts them enough to speak up.
5️⃣ Notices Before Anything Is Said
↳ Catches a shift in someone's energy before it needs explaining.
↳ Checks in without waiting for a scheduled 1:1.
6️⃣ Protects Everyone's Time, Including Their Own
↳ Never treats evenings as a backup meeting slot.
↳ Models the exact boundaries they expect from the team.
7️⃣ Holds The Standard First
↳ Does the hard thing before asking anyone else to.
↳ Never demands something they would not do themselves.
8️⃣ Gives Credit Publicly
↳ Says the win out loud, in the room where it counts.
↳ Never lets someone else's work become their own without saying so.
9️⃣ Delivers Hard News Clearly
↳ Leaves no room for confusion, even when the news is bad.
↳ Values clarity over being liked in the moment.
If your leader does even half of this, you are working with someone genuinely rare.
If you do even half of this, your team already knows it.
Which of these 9 shows up the most in your own leadership?