The Leadership Recipe – Six Must-Have Ingredients for Success
- Brainz Magazine
- Jul 29
- 7 min read
Dr. Adam Harrison is an international expert in personal and workplace well-being and kind leadership cultures. He is a former family physician, qualified attorney-at-law, company director, charity trustee, healthcare business advisor, award-winning life, leadership, and executive coach, organisational well-being and leadership trainer, and host of the 'Inspiring Women Leaders' podcast.
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. Yet, becoming a great leader requires more than just technical skills or positional authority. Exceptional leaders cultivate self-leadership, master communication through deep active listening, uphold strong values, lead with kindness, demonstrate emotional intelligence, and embrace a growth mindset.
These six ingredients form the bedrock of modern, human-centred leadership. This article will explore each in depth, drawing on research and practical strategies that can help aspiring and seasoned leaders alike elevate their impact.
1. Self-leadership: The foundation of great leadership
“Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling, and actions toward your objectives.” – Charles Manz
Before leading others, you must first lead yourself. Self-leadership encompasses self-discipline, purpose, and personal responsibility. It’s about understanding your drivers, managing your time and energy, and remaining aligned with your goals, even when external conditions shift.
Peter Drucker famously described it as serving as the “CEO of your own life.” In practice, this means cultivating a high degree of self-awareness and taking full accountability for your decisions and behaviours.
Research by Neck & Houghton (2006) highlights that self-leaders tend to exhibit higher levels of motivation, self-efficacy, and performance, making them better equipped to handle complexity and ambiguity.
One compelling example of self-leadership is Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, who remained deeply committed to his values of environmental responsibility while growing the company. His personal discipline and clear ethical vision set a tone of integrity and sustainability that continues to define the brand.
Self-leadership also means having a clear personal vision. Leaders like Oprah Winfrey attribute their sustained success to internal clarity and a strong sense of purpose. The Global Leadership Forecast 2023 from DDI found that only 29% of leaders feel they are effective at self-development, highlighting a critical opportunity for improvement. By making personal leadership development a daily habit, rather than an occasional activity, leaders can stay adaptable and proactive.
Practical strategies:
Daily journaling: Reflect on personal and professional goals, track growth areas, and monitor progress.
Mindful breaks: Use mindfulness or brief meditation to recharge and stay mentally present.
Accountability partner: A peer coach or mentor can help maintain focus and offer constructive reflection.
2. Communication skills: The power of deep, active listening
Communication isn’t just about transmitting information; it’s about fostering understanding. And the cornerstone of understanding is listening, particularly deep, active listening.
Great leaders listen with their whole presence. They focus not just on words, but also on tone, emotions, and body language. This kind of listening enhances psychological safety, encourages open dialogue, and strengthens trust.
Google’s Project Aristotle found that psychological safety, enabled by empathetic listening, was the most important factor behind high-performing teams.
Satya Nadella’s transformation of Microsoft also hinged on a shift in communication, moving from a ‘know-it-all culture’ to a ‘learn-it-all culture’. His ability to listen deeply to both customers and employees was fundamental in rebuilding trust and sparking innovation.
In today’s hybrid and globalised work environments, communication complexity has increased. A 2021 McKinsey study on workplace transformation showed that teams with strong communication practices were up to 25% more productive. Furthermore, effective listeners are more likely to be perceived as trustworthy, empathetic, and competent, three traits foundational to successful leadership in diverse teams.
Practical strategies:
Reflective listening: Mirror or paraphrase to affirm understanding.
Avoid interruptions: Give speakers space to fully express themselves.
Ask open-ended questions: Encourage elaboration and deeper thought.
3. Values: The guiding compass
Values act as a leader’s internal compass. In turbulent times, they provide clarity; in moments of doubt, they offer direction.
When leaders act in alignment with clearly articulated values, they lead with authenticity and purpose. This alignment cultivates trust, encourages ethical decision-making, and fosters a values-driven culture.
In ‘Good to Great’, Jim Collins underscores that enduring greatness stems not from charisma but from disciplined adherence to core values, even when it's hard.
Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, famously prioritised long-term sustainability over short-term profits, embedding core values into every aspect of the business. Under his leadership, Unilever’s brands with strong values outperformed those without, proving the business case for value-based leadership.
The importance of values-led leadership has become more visible during global crises. During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders who made decisions anchored in values like compassion, fairness, and long-term well-being saw higher levels of trust and engagement.
According to the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer, 77% of respondents expect CEOs to take a stand on societal issues, placing values at the centre of leadership expectations.
Practical strategies:
Define core values: Know what principles guide you and your leadership.
Live them out loud: Let your actions reflect your stated values consistently.
Invite value-based reflection: Use questions like, “Does this decision align with our purpose?”
4. Kindness: The underestimated leadership trait
Far from being a sign of weakness, kindness is a quiet force that builds loyalty, reduces burnout, and creates inclusive environments. In a world increasingly demanding empathy and fairness, kind leadership is not optional; it’s vital.
Kindness means recognising humanity in others, giving feedback respectfully, and showing up with care, especially under pressure.
The Harvard Business Review reported that leaders who demonstrate compassion enhance employee retention and engagement. Acts of kindness also lead to stronger interpersonal trust and team performance.
Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, practised kindness in leadership by writing personal letters to the parents of her top executives, thanking them for raising great leaders. This gesture significantly enhanced company loyalty and morale.
Kindness also reduces workplace stress. A study published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that teams led by compassionate leaders experienced significantly lower burnout and turnover rates. As organisational well-being becomes a core priority, leadership grounded in humanity and kindness is increasingly being recognised as a performance differentiator.
Practical strategies:
Express gratitude: Regular appreciation boosts morale and motivation.
Show compassion: Take action when someone is struggling; don’t just sympathise.
Promote inclusivity: Be deliberate in including all voices at the table.
5. Emotional intelligence: The key to connecting
Emotional Intelligence (EQ), popularised by Daniel Goleman, is essential for today’s relational leadership. It includes five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Leaders with high EQ manage their own emotions while tuning in to others’. They communicate with tact, de-escalate conflict, and foster healthy relationships, all essential in leading diverse and dynamic teams.
TalentSmart found that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence. It consistently outperforms IQ and technical skills in predicting leadership success.
A 2023 Deloitte survey found that 77% of organisations now consider emotional intelligence a critical factor in leadership selection, citing its impact on employee well-being, engagement, and retention.
Emotional intelligence isn't just about soft skills; it's measurable and trainable. Programs that build EQ have been linked to a 10-20% improvement in team performance. The World Economic Forum now lists emotional intelligence among the top 10 skills of the future, reinforcing its strategic value in an AI-enhanced world.
Practical strategies:
Emotional check-ins: Start meetings by gauging how people are feeling.
Empathy mapping: Practice putting yourself in your team’s shoes.
Solicit feedback: Encourage team members to reflect on how your behaviour affects them.
6. Growth mindset: Embrace continuous learning
Coined by Carol Dweck, a growth mindset is the belief that skills and intelligence can be developed. Leaders with this mindset welcome challenges, persist through setbacks, and model learning behaviour.
This perspective doesn’t just improve individual performance; it shapes organisational culture. Teams feel safer to experiment, learn, and innovate without fear of failure.
In Microsoft’s transformation under Satya Nadella, a growth mindset became the core ethos, leading to innovation and revitalised employee engagement.
At Google, '20% time', where employees could dedicate part of their workweek to passion projects, led to the creation of Gmail, Google News, and AdSense. This approach exemplifies the power of a growth mindset in fostering innovation.
The growth mindset also transforms how teams engage with feedback. A workplace culture that normalises constructive feedback and celebrates learning helps people overcome the fear of failure and boosts creative problem-solving. Harvard Business School research confirms that teams with a learning orientation outperform those focused solely on performance outcomes.
Practical strategies:
Celebrate effort and learning: Reinforce experimentation over perfection.
Reframe failure: Talk about mistakes as valuable learning data.
Set stretch goals: Challenge yourself and your team beyond their comfort zone.
Conclusion: Unleash your leadership potential
Effective leadership is not a destination but an evolving journey. The six core ingredients: self-leadership, communication, values, kindness, emotional intelligence, and a growth mindset, are not quick fixes; they are enduring practices.
By cultivating these traits intentionally and consistently, you won’t just become a better leader; you’ll create ripples of positive impact that uplift teams, organisations, and communities.
"Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." – Simon Sinek.
Read more from Dr. Adam Mark Harrison
Dr. Adam Mark Harrison, Leadership and Wellbeing Coach and Trainer
Dr. Adam Harrison is a leader in the fields of well-being, workplace bullying, and leadership. After experiencing burnout and being a target of workplace bullying as a junior doctor, the second stage of his career has nurtured a strong interest in coaching individuals affected by these challenges, for which he received an international award in 2024. To broaden his reach and deepen his impact, he has expanded his approach by creating and facilitating training events on topics such as personal and workplace well-being, workplace bullying, the benefits of kindness in the workplace, and 'How to be a Great Leader', in multiple countries around the globe. He is also enjoying more recent roles as a company director and trustee of a charity which aims to end adult bullying in New Zealand’s organisations.
