by Dana Pulley

As a leadership coach and consulting-firm manager for more than 20 years, I’ve read countless books on the traits and behaviors of great leaders. I’ve also worked with leaders of every stripe. Based on this I’ve learned that the best leaders—those who get exemplary results—share the following common traits and characteristics:

Authenticity

People want to work for someone who is real. They can sniff out a leader who is not true to herself or himself. Leaders are often faced with organizational situations and demands that tempt them to imitate others’ approaches – that don’t quite work for them. Great leaders navigate political and cultural challenges while maintaining distinct identities.

Caring

When asked to divulge the secret to being a great coach, the legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach replied that “You gotta’ love the bastards!” Great leaders care about their employees. They spend time with and get to know them. The result is exceptionally loyal staff who go out of their way to support the boss.

Listening

We’ve all had leaders who pretend to listen. They always have to have the answer. Needing to be right, they shut everyone down. Great leaders listen, period. This concept is closely related to caring because people equate listening and caring. When I encourage leaders to listen, I mean that they should strive to be fully present with others – not thinking about the next meeting, glancing at e-mail, or even thinking about what to say next. Try it. You’ll gain insights and be surprised by employees who begin solving their own problems.

Focusing on strengths

In too many organizations the primary focus of managers is on driving staff to shore up their weaknesses and improve performance in areas that are not aligned with their strengths. Expending energy on fixing shortcomings brings average performance to an organization that could benefit from exceptional performance delivered by employees who focus on their strengths. Great leaders identify what is best in their staff and position them toward activities that enable them to excel.

Self-awareness

Great leaders know themselves. They spend time understanding their own stories and motivations and the impact this has on how they engage with others. A focus on self- awareness allows leaders to look at situations in new ways and make choices about their actions instead of reacting. The good news is we’re never done growing and learning about ourselves as leaders – that’s the journey!

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Dana Pulley, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton

Ms. Pulley is a seasoned leader, leadership coach, and consultant focused on helping leaders, teams and organizations create their vision, identify possibilities, achieve breakthroughs, and accomplish challenging goals. She has over 20 years of government and business experience supporting organizations with leadership development, organizational performance improvement, and strategic planning.

Dana currently holds a senior leadership position with Booz Allen Hamilton, managing a team of human capital, learning, change management, and technology professionals. She has led dozens of successful projects with Federal government agencies and commercial clients. Dana is uniquely skilled at identifying possibilities and defining solutions that accomplish business goals and support the people accomplishing those goals.

Ms. Pulley is a certified Leadership Coach from Georgetown University and a certified Somatic Coach from the Strozzi Institute. She holds a MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and a BA in Psychology from James Madison University.