McKinsey Classics | April 2024

The successful behaviors of effective leaders

McKinsey research has shown, time and again, that good leadership is crucial to maintaining a healthy organization. And while this insight might seem a bit old hat to any high-performing CEO, knowing just what leadership behaviors to focus on—which, these days, is an ever-growing list—is perhaps less obvious.

Nearly a decade ago, we surveyed almost 190,000 people in more than 80 organizations to assess which leadership behaviors, from a possible list of 20, stood out among the rest. Results showed that leaders from the highest-performing companies in our research overwhelmingly exhibited four traits: they solved problems effectively, operated with a strong results orientation, sought different perspectives, and supported others.

Today’s leaders face no shortage of issues to manage—from the boardroom to the front line. Just knowing where to focus one’s efforts can be challenging. To help you hone your own leadership skills, read senior partner Ramesh Srinivasan’s 2015 McKinsey Quarterly classic, “Decoding leadership: What really matters.”

— Drew Holzfeind, editor, Chicago