24 of the Greatest Leadership Qualities

You know you take your job as a manager seriously. You follow best practices and are constantly looking for ways to be a better boss. Your team is productive, and you’re not picking up on any issues anyone has with you. But it can be hard to really know how well you’re doing, even when you have superiors periodically evaluating you.

Business Insider published a list of the greatest leadership qualities, which we summarized for you here as a handy self-checklist.

01. You don’t have obvious favorites

When a boss has someone who can do no wrong, everyone else may become frustrated and stop even trying to impress.

02. You treat your employees like human beings

Respecting your employees gets much better results than condescension or punishment.

03. You’re willing to try new things

You’re open-minded to employees’ suggestions for improving the way things are done.

04. You hold everyone accountable . . .

Everyone in your group is held accountable for their actions, encouraging integrity and improving morale.

05. . . . including yourself

You don’t look for a scapegoat or an excuse when you should be held accountable for a mistake.

06. You ask politely

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You request things of employees respectfully and don’t find yourself brusquely barking commands.

07. You give support

You proactively offer the necessary degree of support to enable employees success without infantilizing them.

08. You remove obstacles

You try not to create obstacles that make employees’ good work harder to achieve.

09. You’re a good coach

You thoughtfully blend praise and constructive criticism to keep employees motivated.

10. You’re able to manage expectations

You’re honest, though as positive as possible, with employees about what to expect in the future from the company.

11. You give feedback

You keep employees informed about how they’re doing at their jobs, offering actionable positive suggestions for improvement.

12. You keep the environment open and transparent

The clearer a view employees have, the better they can help attain the company’s goals.

13. You ask for insight

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When it makes sense to, you reach out to employees for their input.

14. You explain yourself

You keep your staff in the loop on what your goals are and provide the tools they need to help you achieve them.

15. You care about solutions

When something goes wrong, you look for a solution, not someone to blame.

16. You care about challenging your employees

You make sure employees’ work is challenging enough to keep them engaged and satisfied.

17. You don’t micromanage, but you’re not too hands-off

You don’t treat employees like children by hovering, but you do make yourself available if they seek assistance.

18. You check in with your employees

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You stay in touch, to hear how things are going and pick up on any ways you can help.

19. You have a sense of humor

While you don’t need to be an entertainer, it’s important to depressurize the atmosphere by not taking things too seriously.

20. You care about the dreams and goals of your employees

You’re genuinely interested in how your employees want their futures to unfold.

21. You’re not nice just for the sake of being nice

You’re not artificially nice to avoid conflict. When you’re nice, employees can trust your authenticity.

22. You’re a good listener

You don’t need to be the one talking all the time, and by listening to employees, you help them feel engaged and you learn things you otherwise wouldn’t.

23. You take an interest in your employees’ lives

Without being intrusive, you care about and respect the needs of employees’ lives outside the office.

24. You tailor your approach

Since every employee is a different person, you try and find the optimal way to work with each one.

Whew. That’s quite the list. If you’re doing all of these things, you’re most likely an awesome boss. If not, you can see where there’s room for improvement. It’s a win either way.

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