Qualities Every Leader Must Have to Succeed Today

Change is unavoidable. A Greek philosopher, Heraclitus once said, “change is the only constant in life.” Since the world is changing at a fast pace now, organizations and people must keep up to survive in the new status quo.  

Keeping up with the pace is more work for leaders as they have to act wisely through these turbulent times. Their qualities play a great role in determining whether they can succeed or fail in today’s world.  

Here, we’ve collated the thoughts of a few leaders from the Innovators Community of the World Economic Forum. They’ve shared their thoughts on the different qualities a leader should possess to succeed today.  

1. Courage 

Despite dealing with the challenges with conviction, chances are your important moments will materialize when you reach beyond easy or comfortable. Even after you’ve analyzed every problem, there will be circumstances when you’ll have to take a leap of faith. Doing that will require courage as you have to place the biggest bets that can bring real change to your organization. 

2. Compassion 

Leadership in 2024 is all about two things, i.e., mastering mindsets and asking the appropriate questions. But compassion is the differentiator.  

Display your leadership by looking through multiple perspectives that can always change such as process, people, and risk. You need to have a new outlook and behavior that can serve the business in different ways. When it comes to processes, they need to become more adaptive and flexible as per the circumstances.   

3. Agility 

Agility is one of the most important qualities of leaders. They must be agile and consider each challenge as an opportunity. Even in the case of a failed hypothesis, they must be creative and look for valuable insights. Also, help your team to foster an experimental mindset for different work aspects. They must have a bold vision for tomorrow even during daunting circumstances. 

4. Authenticity and Purpose 

It’s always the leaders who get judged the most at the time of crisis or rapid change. This judgment can either come from stakeholders, employees, or customers. So, leaders must remain strong and share a stronger sense of purpose.  

They must lead with authenticity and purpose no matter the challenges or changing circumstances. A leader is strong when they are true to their values, can communicate effectively, and lead people like a North Star.