6 leadership skills examples to develop your people

There’s never been a more critical time to nurture the leaders in your organization. 

Our latest Workforce Trends Report found that layoffs at the top are leaving managers to fill leadership gaps. In fact, the number of direct reports per upper-level manager increased by a massive 81% compared to the previous year, putting added strain on leaders.*

Meanwhile, with 10,000 people reaching retirement age daily in the US until 2030, Millennial and Gen Z professionals will soon dominate the workforce.** This shift compels HR teams to focus on equipping new and existing senior roles with experienced candidates who can guide and mentor younger employees.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. By identifying and developing the competencies that turn high-potential employees into effective leaders, you’ll stay ahead of work trends and help your company thrive.

With that in mind, we’re sharing six essential leadership skills examples that your People team should look for when hiring or promoting team members.

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*Leapsome Workforce Trends Report, 2024

**SHRM, 2017
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6 top leadership skills (+ how to embody them in the workplace)

Making a difference as an impactful leader takes a special combination of skills and abilities. It’s not just about a person’s qualifications and years of experience; they need the right blend of soft and hard skills to cultivate a healthy and productive workplace culture.

While these skills are desirable across the board, consistently embodying them is non-negotiable for an organizational leader. After all, senior team members set the tone for your entire organization, so it’s logical that they must demonstrate a higher degree of competency across the board.

Here’s a breakdown of the six most crucial leadership skills — with tips and examples for each.
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1. Communication

Effective communication yields better business outcomes — it’s as simple as that. Recent studies suggest it can boost productivity by up to 72%. So, leaders need top-tier communication skills (e.g., active listening, speaking, written communication) so team members feel heard and know how to work more effectively and grow. 

The specifics can vary by seniority. A manager might excel at adapting communication styles to different team members, while an executive might confidently address board members, partners, and the public; they’d also need to be capable of conveying the organization’s vision, strategy, and value internally and externally.

This gives you an idea of how, even if someone is already a strong communicator, there’s always room to refine these skills as they move into higher-level roles. 

The need for strong communication skills is amplified in remote or hybrid teams, where clarity and consistency become even more vital. Research shows that remote employees who feel included in company communications are nearly five times more likely to report higher productivity.
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Example of communication skills in leadership

As mentioned above, a good leader should be able to convey their perspectives, clearly explain tasks, and negotiate effectively using a combination of active listening, public speaking, written communication, and verbal communication. However, it’s equally important to acknowledge individual leadership styles — which are less easy to measure but crucial to establishing connections with clients, colleagues, direct reports, and other business leaders. 

Some of the world’s most successful business and thought leaders take a less-than-traditional communication approach, embracing authenticity over formality. 

For example, Michelle Obama’s communication style is centered around engaging with people on a human level, blending warmth, humor, and composure in her speeches and interviews — proving there’s no “one way” to communicate well.

As a leader, tailor your communication approach to your audience while maintaining authenticity.
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2. Innovation

As managers are called upon to do more with less, effective leadership goes beyond relying on tried-and-tested practices. Leaders must foster innovation by encouraging new ideas, initiatives, and approaches.

There are many ways for employees to showcase innovation at different levels. In a managerial role, this could be as simple as developing ideas to improve internal processes or advocating for an HR automation tool that could save time and money.

However, an executive might focus on the big picture and the organization’s overarching innovation strategy. They might steer the company toward a new product line or a remote or hybrid model, for example, making calculated risks for long-term gains.

At Leapsome, we call this “challenging the status quo,” and it is one of our core values. As our co-founder and co-CEO Jenny Podewils put it: “We don’t walk the beaten path just because everyone else does. Instead, we reflect, challenge, and seek out better ways.”  
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Example of innovation skills in leadership

Innovation doesn’t have to be about creating the next groundbreaking product. Leaders should aim to challenge conventions with meaningful ideas.

For instance, apparel brand Patagonia launched its “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign on Black Friday 2011, urging consumers to reconsider the environmental impact of overconsumption rather than just pushing sales.

This counterintuitive move put Patagonia’s sustainability values front and center, deepened customer loyalty, and sparked conversations about mindful shopping.

Innovative leaders similarly question norms, iterate on better solutions, and inspire team creativity — even if it goes against conventions.
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3. Strategic thinking

At the highest level, leaders will shape organizational strategy, considering complexities like market positioning and industry trends to drive growth and long-term resilience. For executives, a forward-thinking attitude is crucial to identifying and acting on potential obstacles and opportunities in their niche, industry, and the business world as a whole.

Indeed, strategic thinking is often considered one of the most valuable leadership skills, with a 2023 survey reporting that 70% of leaders agree on its importance. In addition, a natural affinity for strategy is rare, and only 30% of participants responded that they’d received training in that area. 

As such, this is a skill to actively look for and cultivate in your teams. For example, team leads should integrate strategic thinking into their recruitment and hiring process and ensure their reports understand and feel comfortable working toward overarching strategic goals. Goal-setting tools like Leapsome Goals can help with this as they enable team members across all levels of an organization to set, track, and report on their objectives. Users can even use the feature to set up cascading goals, which enables leaders to break down high-level objectives into smaller targets to ensure everyone is working toward the same results and sees how they’re contributing to the big picture.

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Example of strategic thinking skills in leadership

Strategic leadership looks different in every business. 

Netflix’s pivot from a DVD rental service to a streaming platform is one of the most successful examples of strategic thinking in business. CEO Reed Hastings recognized an emerging consumer need and transformed the company before others caught on, turning Netflix into a leader in on-demand content.
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4. Decision-making

According to Gartner, 65% of business decisions are more complex than they used to be. With that, decision-making is another essential skill leaders must have to evaluate problems and develop solutions that benefit their team and the entire organization.

Decision-making skills aren’t one-dimensional. They may involve:

• Emotional intelligence
• Logical reasoning
• Creativity
• Problem-solving
• Collaboration
• Analysis

In addition, some decisions are bound to be unpopular with some employees, clients, or other stakeholders. Leaders must establish trust by displaying thoughtfulness and confidence, as well as building meaningful professional relationships in the long term. Indeed, employees working toward leadership roles must be able to make tough decisions to benefit as many team members as possible, leading with conviction while remaining open to constructive feedback.
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Example of decision-making skills in leadership

Every leader faces urgent situations at work, from smaller nuisances to large-scale operational setbacks. These scenarios require swift and decisive action, so having strong decision-making skills is essential to find quick solutions and minimize fallout.

Say you run an online shop and suddenly run out of branded packaging materials. Do you prioritize sending orders, even though they would be sent in unbranded packaging? Or do you wait to receive new packaging materials to maintain your usual quality standards? Who will communicate with the customer to tell them either way? And how? A good leader should be able to make a logical, effective decision that aligns with both company values and customer expectations.   

And decision-making doesn’t only apply to emergencies, either. Business leaders have to pivot strategies and adapt to new variables regularly, whether that involves entering a new market or revising the organization’s pricing strategy. An effective leader should be able to use experience, intuition, training, and decision-making protocol in all those situations to calmly decide on the best course of action.
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5. Reliability

Reliability underpins trust — and trust correlates with 50% higher productivity and 40% less burnout in high-trust companies. 

Senior managers and executives must consistently demonstrate reliability, especially during turbulent times.

Donald Thompson, CEO and co-founder of The Diversity Movement, explained that reliability is a baseline expectation for C-suite professionals:

“Yes means yes, no means no, and people can count on your commitments to be followed through. As a leader, you have to show up and put in a hard day’s work just as you ask your team to do. You also have to be there to support them — to help them succeed and grow.”
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Example of reliability skills in leadership

Imagine that a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at a mid-sized SaaS company is working on a comprehensive go-to-market (GTM) strategy for a new product launch. They might demonstrate their professional reliability throughout that process with:

• Clear and consistent communication — Setting a realistic timeline for presenting the GTM strategy, breaking it into milestones (e.g., competitive analysis, messaging framework, marketing channel plans), sharing the timeline with key interest-holders, and providing regular updates.

• Reliable follow-through — Ensuring every deliverable is completed on time and coordinating with the team to avoid delays. For instance, if the content team faces challenges creating product messaging, the CMO may step in to facilitate brainstorming sessions and keep the project on track.

• Contingency planning — A week before the presentation, the CMO discovers that a competitor has announced a similar product. Instead of panicking, they might incorporate competitive insights into the GTM strategy, showcasing their ability to adapt and deliver a high-quality plan despite unforeseen changes.
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6. Empathy

It’s easy to think of leaders as purely authoritative figures — but true success often relies on emotional intelligence. 

Demonstrating empathy via active listening, self-awareness, and open-mindedness helps leaders handle tough conversations tactfully, build genuine relationships, and enhance team morale. These traits can help leaders cultivate a healthy, people-centered work environment, improving the employee experience and overall performance.

“By understanding each team member’s unique needs and creating an inclusive environment, leaders can empower their teams to innovate and adapt, achieving more with less effort,” commented Jill Katz, Founder and Chief Candor, Courage and Care Officer at Assemble HR, in our 2024 Workforce Trends Report.
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Example of empathy skills for leadership

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes empathy is a catalyst for innovation. 

In a Vanity Fair interview, he said: “If I look at the most successful products we [at Microsoft] have created, it comes with that ability to meet the unmet, unarticulated needs of customers.”

By encouraging employees to genuinely listen to customers’ challenges, Nadella fosters a culture where solutions address real pain points. This empathetic approach guides product development and unifies teams around a shared purpose, strengthening alignment across the company.
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Empower leaders with people enablement software

💬 “If you’re not already thinking about your plan for manager development in 2025, it’s time to add that to your list. Investing in managers is critical for distributed organizations to combat issues with retention, burnout, and workplace conflict.”

—  Shelby Wolpa, HR Advisor to Series A–C Startups and Scaleups

The best leaders set positive examples, engaging employees and external stakeholders with a mix of competence and authenticity. 

With the right knowledge, training, and support, you can develop leadership skills in employees and nurture talent throughout your organization.

Leapsome’s comprehensive set of HR and people enablement tools was designed to help every professional, including current and future leaders, maximize their potential.

With our platform, you can easily create insightful leadership surveys, conduct effective leadership evaluations, and identify people with management potential. In addition, our award-winning platform also supports goal setting, continuous feedback, learning paths, competency frameworks, HRIS, and more — all powered by AI.

Most importantly, these features work together as one holistic system that can be customized to suit your specific needs. They simplify your tech stack and streamline workflows so you can focus on what matters most: empowering your people.

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Frequently asked questions about leadership skills examples

What makes leadership skills different?

Many qualities, like strong communication or strategic thinking, matter for all employees. But leaders apply these skills at a broader scale, shaping policies, setting expectations, and modeling behavior that affects the entire company. They also need to earn trust, inspire confidence, and drive progress — requiring a distinct, well-rounded skill set.
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How can I improve my leadership skills?

Even the most experienced leaders can (and should) expand and improve their skill sets to ensure they’re always learning, doing their best work, and keeping up with the latest research and trends. Some potential ways to do this include:

• Finding a mentor with strengths that are different from your own so you can learn from them
  
  
• Leading a group or club related to something you’re passionate about
  
  
• Participating in regular leadership training, workshops, and conferences
  
  
• Listening to podcasts or reading books by other leaders
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What should I look for to hire someone with good leadership skills?

The definition of a “good leader” differs between organizations. However, there are some qualities that every resilient and effective leader should have.

We recommend looking for proficiency (or a strong will to improve) in the following areas:

• Communication — Does this person know how to manage a team and lead productive conversations with employees, other stakeholders, and the public?
  
  
• Innovation — Does the candidate have an entrepreneurial spirit and the confidence to take educated risks?
  
  
• Strategic thinking — Does the individual have a forward-thinking attitude and the ability to set ambitious but realistic goals for individuals and teams?
  
  
• Decision-making — Does the person demonstrate emotional intelligence, logical reasoning, and problem-solving skills?
  
  
• Reliability — Would employees, clients, and other business leaders trust this individual to act with fairness and integrity?
  
  
• Empathy — Does the candidate have the necessary interpersonal skills to foster a healthy company culture and handle difficult situations sensitively?