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How to spot the leaders of tomorrow
8 min read | Kat Evans | Article | | Talent management
What strange brand of alchemy actually makes a good leader? Is it a matter of personality, intellect, intuition, a combination of these, or something even more elusive – an undefinable quality that just means the role is a natural fit?
Whatever it takes to make a leader, they’re more difficult to find than you might think – research from Gallup suggests that about 10% of people have a natural talent for it, while a further 20% will get there with the right training and development. These odds certainly make the job of finding and appointing people into these positions more challenging, but there are certain characteristics you can keep an eye out for that are a good indicator of someone’s leadership potential.
Whilst inherent capabilities lay the groundwork for successful leadership, they can’t be fully realised without the quantifiability of excellent assessment processes, as well as the experience that can be embedded by tailored coaching and development. In other words, raw talent isn’t enough – you need to provide people with experiences that will help them develop the mindset they need to succeed as a business leader.
According to our 2025 Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide, which distils insights from a survey of almost 15,000 professionals into topics affecting the world of work, senior leaders identify increasing operating profit (51%), gaining market share (35%) and increasing turnover (34%) as their organisation’s top three strategic goals for the year ahead. In other words, growth is high on the agenda for 2025, and if organisations want to fulfil their ambitions in this respect, it’s essential that their leaders – and future leaders – have the right mindset to lead the charge.
“Growth is high on the agenda for 2025, and if organisations want to fulfil their ambitions in this respect, it’s essential that their leaders – and future leaders – have the right mindset to lead the charge.”
But how do you begin to identify those who are capable of spearheading a growth agenda? While it’s true that every business is unique, and good leadership will look different depending on the organisation, there are certain leadership qualities that are especially valuable in the volatile and uncertain times we’re living in. Below we’ve listed four qualities to look out for in a potential leader – many of which intersect and inform each other – during any assessment or recruitment process:
Adaptability in leadership is about being responsive and flexible to changes in the wider environment – now a more crucial quality than ever, particularly in light of the ongoing economic and political upheaval that’s continuing to knock business confidence. Stoicism – a school of philosophy that flourished in Classical times – is highly relevant here. You can’t control external events, but you can control how you respond to them.
Being able to stay level-headed when asked to pivot a business strategy is no easy task and requires a huge amount of self-possession – remember that this is the person your team will be looking to during times of uncertainty, and their graciousness in the face of change will set the tone for the entire process. If they have the capacity to demonstrate flexibility in communication style and methodology, an eagerness to learn about and utilise emerging technologies, and the ability to reprioritise tasks and goals and act accordingly, they’ll be in a good position to grow your business.
No great leader ever settled for the status quo. Curiosity from the top encourages a culture of continuous improvement in a workplace – something that’s also known as a mindset for growth. Actively listening to and engaging with the ideas of others, showing an eagerness to acquire knowledge, and voluntarily requesting exposure to new areas of a business are all good indicators of someone’s leadership potential.
If a business is to move beyond its current limitations, it needs someone at the helm who can revive tired ideas or reinvent systems and processes, and an openness to differing opinions and willingness to try new approaches is critical to building a culture of curiosity and mobilising growth.
No one can be a good leader of people if they don’t command respect – and for this they need integrity. Having integrity means people are accountable for their actions and truthful and transparent in what they say, which is critical to inspiring trust and loyalty in others.
Ethical leadership creates a psychologically safe environment that empowers a team to operate at their best. If employees know they can exercise their creativity, share ideas without fear of a backlash, and work without boundaries, they will find more innovative ways of solving problems. Of all leadership qualities, integrity is possibly the one that requires the greatest amount of introspection – people must look within themselves to understand what they stand for, and then decide how they convey this. Though this might be something that takes some time to develop and hone, a leader who’s willing to share and show their personal values will ultimately cultivate a more productive and motivated team.
At the end of the day – and if they’re being honest with themselves – many leaders would concede that they’ve failed as many times as they’ve succeeded. But does that mean they wouldn’t try again? Each failure provides a lesson, and having the resilience to get back up and keep going is half the battle. Courageous leaders take risks, face challenges head-on, and meet uncertainty with persistence. This is a quality that many may possess innately, but it doesn’t mean that it can’t be strengthened over time.
Growing a business is never without risk – and for this you do need daring and determination, but this is not necessarily all that is meant by courageous leadership. Those prepared to display humility, admit mistakes, and put their principles first show – to all intents and purposes – that they’re willing to put their team and their organisation before their own self-preservation, and the leaders we need today are those who demonstrate courageous action rather than just demanding it from others.
Looking for absolute confidence in your executive hiring decisions? Our assessment and development solutions will help you cut costs with bespoke candidate selection strategies, accelerate time-to-hire with tailored end-to-end support, and find the inspirational leaders you need to deliver sustainable growth for your organisation.
Kat Evans, Head of Assessment and Development, Hays UK
Kat leads our Assessment and Development advisory practice, which enables clients to make robust, fair and objective workforce management decisions. She focuses primarily on leadership assessment as well as bespoke assessment design. Kat is a qualified psychometric test user and holds an MSc in organisational psychology.
