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Different leaders will display different leadership qualities, depending on the context and circumstances of a situation. A capable business leader will be able to use their leadership qualities to gain the trust, respect and commitment of their employees, and motivate them to achieve organisational goals.

Effective business leaders usually exhibit a combination of some of the following qualities:

• Integrity: Good leaders often place great importance on ethical values. They choose to do "what is right", even if it is hard. In general, leaders with integrity are honest, truthful, fair, reliable and will not let their emotions affect their ability to do their job.
• Self-Confidence: Strong leaders have a firm belief in their abilities. They generally remain confident at all times and demonstrate the ability to handle challenges and pressure.
• Commitment: Successful leadership is impossible without firm commitment. Good leaders remain focused and dedicated towards their objectives and goals.
• Enthusiasm: Effective leaders usually have a pro-active approach towards people, problems and possibilities. They are able to stimulate and evoke excitement amongst employees so that achieving organisational goals can be done in an energetic manner.
• Self-awareness and adaptability: Skilful leaders exhibit an understanding of their own values, skills, strengths and weaknesses. They are often flexible and willing to continually improve their knowledge and skills to meet new challenges.
• Future vision: Successful business leadership involves creating a well founded vision of what can be achieved in the future and the best way to approach it.
• Creativity: Effective leaders are creative in their approach, developing new ideas to resolve current issues and implementing them effectively to prevent future recurrences.
• Ability to understand people: Good business leadership requires a clear understanding of human behaviour and the ability to develop open and honest relationships with their team to understand their abilities, concerns, interests and motivations.
• Ability to inspire and motivate: Successful business leaders may be charismatic, highly organised, and very motivational in their interaction with employees. They develop a culture of hard work and commitment, inspiring and motivating the team to perform at its best.
• Openness: Good business leaders are able to listen openly to the ideas, suggestions and opinions of their employees. They are willing to adopt new ways of doing things if they believe it will be beneficial for the organisation. They focus on creating a positive environment of mutual respect and trust that enables the business to be well prepared for new challenges.
• Communication skills: Good communication skills are vital for effective leadership. Skillful business leaders are usually very clear, effective and influential in communicating their vision to employees. They continuously improve their communication skills and learn new ways to remain effective in a constantly changing business environment.
• Business understanding: Successful leaders will strive to have a clear understanding of their business, the environment in which they operate and their competitors. They will develop an awareness of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for their business and focus on maximising resources to their full potential.
• Decisiveness: This is the ability to exploit opportunities and make sound decisions, while minimising risk. Strong business leaders will usually conduct a risk and/or cost and benefit analysis prior to finalising any decisions that may potentially have major impacts on the business.
• Ability to build effective teams: Effective business leaders have the ability to see the potential in an employee and successfully place them in a team where their skills and talent will be properly utilised. They also resolve disputes, encourage debate and fresh ideas and give the team direction towards achieving common goals.