Great leadership.
It’s one of our guiding principles at Doran Leadership Partners (DLP). We believe great leadership can elevate and transform organizations.
What, exactly, does great leadership look like in practice? How do the best leaders show up differently than their peers? And most importantly, how can companies build great leadership cultures that enable their organizations to thrive?
We asked our team for their perspectives.
Great Leaders are Curious, Collaborative and Open
Not surprisingly, our DLP search leads have definite viewpoints on this topic. Collectively, we speak with thousands of executives each year, from directors and vice presidents through C-suite and board directors, all part of our executive leadership searches.
In all these conversations, a few common attributes stand out.
“Any good leader demonstrates strategic acumen, collaboration, an ability to develop teams and people. They’re growth-minded, they take an enterprise view, they’re open to ideas. These are through-lines for all great leaders,” said Libby Doran.
Doran founded DLP in 2019 and brings more than two decades of experience to executive search.
Maya Schultz, Search Lead at DLP, agreed. Schultz works primarily with private equity (PE) firms and their portfolio companies. Her leadership conversations often center on how leaders operate during pivotal moments of change.
“Great leaders take the time to understand what motivates their team,” she said. “They are excellent communicators, able to tailor messages for their audience and create alignment—a path forward—for the team.”
Self-Awareness, Vulnerability Build Trust, Team Engagement
Nayana Jha, Search Lead at DLP, focuses on family offices and family-owned enterprises. In addition to the qualities identified by her colleagues, she appreciates leaders with “intellectual curiosity.”
Jha finds great leaders bring a clear-eyed view not just of organizational decision-making, but of their own capabilities.
“The leaders who stand out are not the ones who feel they need to project certainty at all time. They are comfortable saying ‘I don’t know’ and asking for input.”
“Self awareness is absolutely required—an ability to know both your strengths and your gaps,” Jha said. Having that mindset demonstrates that the leader knows what they need to be effective, how to forge trusted, authentic relationships and how to surround themselves with the right team.
Brad Julkowski, Senior Advisor and Search Lead at DLP, noted that leaders increasingly demonstrate self-awareness through a willingness to be vulnerable. With more than 25 years experience in executive recruiting (most recently leading talent acquisition for a Fortune 500 organization), Julkowski sees this play out consistently.
“The leaders who stand out are not the ones who feel they need to project certainty at all times,” Julkowski said. “They are comfortable saying ‘I don’t know,’ asking their teams for input and being transparent when a decision doesn’t land the way they expected. They take those moments, learn from them and move forward quickly.”
This level of openness can benefit leaders and organizations alike. It creates space for teams to contribute, challenge thinking and grow together. Leaders can be transparent, honest and grounded.
Julkowski added, “That level of openness does not weaken leadership—it builds trust quickly and creates stronger, more engaged teams.”
The Right Person, in the Right Place, at the Right Time
Another key aspect of great leadership where all four agree: Great leadership is contextual.
“It’s all about the right person, in the right place, at the right time,” Doran explained.
For that reason, DLP’s executive search practice leans into its proprietary discovery process. This upfront analysis uncovers the unique aspects of an organization’s culture, roles, leadership needs and structure.
Jha explained, “We’re looking at what environments best suit the leader, what pace of change are they most effective in. A leader could be transformative at a fast-paced organization, yet might not fit a different business. We’re looking at the context in which a great leader was successful.”
Doran shared an example. As a client’s business grew from $1 billion to $10 billion in revenue, the context of “great CFO” evolved as well. The company moved from Excel spreadsheets to sophisticated analytics and a mature approach to capital markets. As a result, their first outside hire for CFO needed a systems approach; their third will build on their predecessors’ accomplishments and act as a strategic partner and advisor to the business.
“Great leaders are able to model behavior that draws people back to why you’re in a business, why you’re doing the work.”
“As organizations go through step changes, their leadership roles change as well. Each great leader has the opportunity help the company ‘level up’ during their tenure,” Doran said.
Great Leaders Exemplify an Organization’s Culture and Values
Cultural intelligence is another mandatory for great leaders. It’s more than alignment with what a company stands for; it’s being able to exemplify these core principles in day-to-day work.
“Great leaders are able to model behavior that draws people back to why you’re in a business, why you’re doing the work,” Doran said.
Jha finds culture particularly important to her leadership searches with family-owned enterprises. These companies typically have multiple generations in the workforce, each with a personal stake in investments, stewardship and organizational direction.
“The best leaders in that context are translators,” Jha said. They can maintain a point of view, but also a neutrality. They can communicate complex topics in a manner that aligns with a family’s values.
‘How’ Outweighs ‘What’ When Interviewing Great Leaders
An aspect of great leadership that may surprise executive candidates? It’s nearly impossible to identify the better leader from a resume or LinkedIn profile alone. Behavioral interviews are vital.
“A resume is a door opener, but an assessment of great leadership comes from a holistic view of a candidate, looking at how they make decisions,” Doran noted.
“We ask about failures and learnings—not just successes,” Jha said. “If a candidate is comfortable sharing something that didn’t work and what they learned, that shows maturity and leadership.”
Schultz added, “I can’t emphasize this enough to candidates. Think about times in your career where you really worked to learn a business and the team before leading it. What was your approach? In hindsight, what would you have done differently that might have led to a different outcome?”
Understanding “how” a great leader achieved an outcome is often more important than the “what” of a skillset or accomplishment.
“When a candidate can communicate how they lead, how they set a vision, how they motivate people, that captures a client’s imagination,” Jha said. “They can see how that leader would translate to their organization.”
Outstanding Leaders for Your Next Chapter
Curious where your next great leader can take your organization? We’d love to be part of your process. Doran Leadership Partners offers national executive search, role design, leadership consulting (and more). You can learn more about our services here, or contact us for an in-depth discussion.