What makes a good leader

There’s a whole industry dedicated to leadership advice. LinkedIn alone is packed with frameworks, gurus, soundbites and neatly packaged inspiration. Some of it’s useful. A lot of it’s just theatre. And if I’m honest, none of the leadership lessons that have stayed with me came from that world.

The real wisdom I’ve learnt has come from watching actual leaders in real rooms. People who didn’t need to announce themselves or talk endlessly about leadership. They behaved in a way that made everything around them better. And the culture was much better for it.

And of course I’ve worked with the other kind too. The insecure ones. The self-promoters. The permanently-in-workshoppers. The non-listeners. The blame-shifters. People who made everything heavier, slower, or smaller than it needed to be.

They taught me a great deal as well, mostly by showing me exactly what to avoid.

But the leaders who truly shaped me did so through small, honest pieces of wisdom that still ring true years later.

Set the tone early
Good leaders shape the atmosphere long before they speak.

At school, my housemaster at Wellington was the first real leader I ever noticed. He wasn’t loud and he wasn’t strict, but the whole place just ran better when he was around.

He was kind, fair, smart and calm. The kind of presence that put people at ease and somehow made everyone behave a little better. He didn’t posture or over-explain. He just created the sort of atmosphere others instinctively wanted to be part of. Looking back, that was probably my first lesson in leadership. It wasn’t about control, it was about presence.

Minimise the dull bits
Good leaders remove friction so people can focus on meaningful work.

My first boss at Unipart had a remarkably calm approach. Always in a good mood, he never confused noise with direction and he always seemed to clear the clutter so the work felt interesting. When I once asked him how he did it, he smiled and said something like, “Automate the dull bits. Then you’ve got more time for the good stuff.”

Simple. Practical. And exactly the sort of clarity that helps teams thrive.

Be the best Martin you can be
Good leaders help people become more themselves, not less.

My first boss at Jack Morton, and the reason I agreed to join them, gave me a line I’ve carried ever since when navigating a larger agency: “Be the best Martin you can be.” There was no big speech. No leadership theatre. It was just a reminder that the best leaders want you to grow into your own strengths rather than shrink into theirs.

Tell me what you need and go
Good leaders give trust, clarity and room to breathe.

My next boss at Jack Morton, who led the Boston office, had an approach built entirely on trust. In addition to excellent career advice, he always seemed in a good mood and gave the whole team a sense of lightness and confidence. His line was often: “Tell me what you need and go.” Trust isn't a slogan, it’s an action.

If it makes sense, try it
Good leaders remove hesitation and back people to act.

At Bain, a senior partner I worked with regularly taught me the power of clarity without ego. He trusted expertise and supported experimentation. His usual ethos was, “If it makes sense, try it. I’ve got your back.” That kind of encouragement cuts through hesitation. Teams move faster when they know someone is genuinely with them.

Do the right thing
Good leaders hold to principles, even under pressure.

At Novartis, an enlightened executive I worked closely with, always friendly and fully present, had a habit of returning to the same principle, no matter the situation: “Do the right thing.”

He lived it, and people trusted him because of it. Fairness, applied consistently, is one of the great quiet powers of leadership.

So what makes a good leader?
When you put all these lessons together, the pattern is unmistakable.

The best leaders are steady.
They listen properly.
They trust people to do their jobs.
They remove fear.
They’re generous with their praise.
They’re as honest as they can be.
They clear the path rather than clutter it.

They behave well when the pressure is high.
They help people grow rather than diminish them.
They make work feel bigger, not smaller.

And they don’t need to bang on endlessly about leadership.
They simply lead.

No names mentioned, but if you can figure out who you are, truly, thank you.