Good leaders are great simplifiers. They can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer solutions everybody can understand, appreciate, and follow. Good leaders are also educators who transfer learning across the organisation. They lead by example. They effect positive change in the organisation by exuding a positive attitude at work. A good leader also motivates his employees time and again to ensure maximum productivity and efficiency.

Successful leaders are good time managers as well. The ability to prioritise, address key issues directly, and mine out the key ones from the deluge of issues they face is the hallmark of a good leader. Accentuating the positive and expressing things in terms of what should be done, not what should not be done, is another important principle every leader must follow.

A good leader has the ability to think creatively, flexibly, and innovatively. It is important for a leader to manage people from diverse cultures and in different places with open-mindedness, patience, honesty, and trust.

A major responsibility that lies with a good leader is to make ethical decisions and behave accordingly, and make sure that the organisation understands and practices this code of conduct. A leader must be able to guide and mentor his organisation into achieving the goals in an integrated and harmonious manner.

A leader must know himself. Knowledge of one's own strengths and weaknesses is an essential prerequisite towards building a great team. A leader must be open to the best of what everyone, everywhere has to offer and must constantly seek to learn from his peers and subordinates.