--- description: Studies have shown the traits that correlated most powerfully with CEO success as well as the most common failures of bad leaders. Avoid extremes of... title: How to Be a Great Leader — 5 Insights From Research image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltae45850896456aa1/69876cc43c16391aff4506f7/leader.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Psychology](/tag/psychology/) ## Psychology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How to Be a Great Leader — 5 Insights From Research by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2014 5:01 AM CUT  Businessman leading meeting in conference room Businessman leading meeting in conference roomGetty Images by [Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 5, 2014 5:01 AM CUT * Studies have shown [the traits that correlated most powerfully with CEO success](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-makes-a-great-leader "undefined") as well as [the most common failures of bad leaders](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-the-10-most-common-failures-of-bad-l "undefined"). Avoid extremes of [assertiveness or passivity](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-leaders-be-very-assertive-or-more-pass "undefined"). The best leaders are supportive, not controlling, [even in the military](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/are-the-best-military-leaders-stern-or-suppor "undefined"). Find a balance between [tough and nice](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/should-leaders-be-nice-or-tough "undefined"). Your leadership style [must adapt to the environment around you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-leadership-matter "undefined"). * Understand what [things](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-really-motivates-us-part-2 "undefined") really [motivate people](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-really-motivates-us "undefined"). (No, [not money](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-money-a-lousy-way-to-motivate-people "undefined").) What’s the #1 motivator? [Progress](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-motivates-us-more-than-most-anything-els "undefined"). Definitely [progress](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-help-you-do-more-creative-work-and-f "undefined"). Want your employees to perform better? It can be as easy as [believing they are smarter than average](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-you-get-your-employees-and-students-to "undefined") and [having high expectations](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-managers-easily-improve-employee-perf "undefined"). (Expecting people to be selfish [can be a self-fulfilling prophecy](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-expecting-others-to-be-selfish-a-self-fulf "undefined").) Money and feedback [work best as incentives when combined with acknowledgement of an employee’s accomplishments](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/which-incentives-best-increase-productivity-i "undefined"). You can give a quick boost to employee motvation by [reminding people why their job is important](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-a-quick-and-effective-way-to-motivate-e "undefined"). When all else fails, yes, [nagging works](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-nagging-work "undefined"). * Teams are smart [because of social skills, not IQ](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-makes-teams-smart "undefined"). The best predictor of team success in the workplace is [how the team members feel about each other](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-best-predictor-of-team-success-in-t "undefined"). The words your employees choose can tell you [how they feel about the group](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-you-tell-whether-a-company-is-in-trouble "undefined"). When it comes to team trust, it’s true that [a chain is only as strong as its weakest link](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-a-team-only-as-strong-as-its-weakest-link "undefined"). (The reason most people leave their jobs is [because of a lack of trust](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-reason-most-people-want-to-leave-th "undefined").) A [historical narrative](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-you-improve-team-morale "undefined") inspires team morale. [Don’t be afraid](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-you-underestimate-the-power-of-touching "undefined") to [touch each other](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-touching-improve-team-performance "undefined"). Might want to learn some [tricks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/10-ways-to-create-an-environment-where-people "undefined") to creating a place where people are kind to each other. A difficult initiation [might not be a bad idea](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-we-like-a-group-more-if-it-puts-us-through "undefined"). Dave Packard (of Hewlett Packard) has [some great tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-do-you-build-a-good-work-environment "undefined") on building a solid work environment. * You have a vested interest in whether your employees are happy. [Happy employees](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-happiness-boost-productivity "undefined") are [more productive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-it-matter-if-your-employees-are-happy "undefined"). (Happier employees [bring companies better returns](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/do-happier-employees-give-companies-better-re "undefined").) And your employees will be happier if you let them know [their job has meaning](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-happiness-in-what-you-do-or-how-you-do-it "undefined"). You can reduce employee stress by [making clear what is expected of them](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-significantly-reduce-job-stress "undefined"). * To be perceived as a leader, [speak first and speak often](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-you-have-to-do-to-be-perceived-as-a-l "undefined"). You can [learn to be more charismatic](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-can-you-learn-to-be-more-charismatic "undefined"). When you have to communicate bad news, [monitor your body language](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-best-way-to-deliver-bad-news "undefined"). Face to face contact is important; communicating via email can [turn you into a jerk](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-email-turn-you-into-an-asshole "undefined"). Saying “[thank you](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-powerful-are-the-words-thank-you "undefined")” is vital. Don’t [reprimand in public](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/whats-the-best-way-to-reprimand-someone "undefined"). You can learn a lot from Sun Tzu’s [The Art of War](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-we-learn-from-sun-tzus-art-of-war "undefined"). You [need to be positive](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-can-leaders-do-to-enhance-team-success "undefined") for employees to be at their best. **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/5-keys-to-being-a-better-leader/ "undefined")**_._** **Join over 145,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.** Related posts: [How To Make Your Life Better By Sending Five Simple Emails](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/make-your-life-better/ "undefined") [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/ "undefined") [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3618929/great-leader-insights/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3618929/great-leader-insights/"},"headline":"How to Be a Great Leader — 5 Insights From Research","datePublished":"2014-12-05T05:01:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:04:02.160Z","description":"Studies have shown the traits that correlated most powerfully with CEO success as well as the most common failures of bad leaders. 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