6 Quiet Behaviors That Set Great Leaders Apart

We hear a lot about leadership in big, game-time moments — crises or pivotal, high-stakes decisions. But the vast majority of leadership happens in the in-between moments. And as we heard from a number of leaders, the skills and mindsets that make those day-to-day interactions successful are often quite different from the ones that animate a crisis. Here, six people share the leadership qualities they find most important on a daily basis.

1. Be vulnerable — and resilient.

“In high-stakes situations, the goal is often to avoid mistakes. But in day-to-day leadership, it’s important to let employees see the struggle. Leadership is incredibly hard. When I first became CEO, it was a big leap from my previous role. I had to learn quickly, so I leaned on the deeper expertise of my existing team, and was willing to ask for help. The team saw that I wasn’t pretending to know everything, and that built trust. They wanted to help, and together we achieved incredible results. Vulnerability, when paired with resilience, actually shows strength.” — Juliette Tang, president, One/Size by Patrick Starrr

2. Keep the team focused.

“The best daily leadership skill is the ability to not get distracted or allow your team to get distracted. There’s an infinite amount of ‘good ideas’ to chase, and a finite amount of time. If a leader or team is constantly chasing the newest shiny object, the team can’t execute one idea to the fullest extent. In most things in life, the top 1% to 5% take the vast majority of gains. Executing to that level requires a dedicated focus. We were able to grow so fast because we focused all of our efforts on a single channel, TikTok, and became the best we could at it.” — Calvin Klaski, cofounder and CEO, Nobs

3. Find your leadership mindset.

“I think of leadership less as a set of skills and more as a mindset. For me, it’s about giving grace — to yourself and your team, especially to parents who are constantly navigating trade-offs. That means creating space for flexibility, acknowledging when someone needs support, and showing my own kids that work and family are interconnected. It’s not glamorous, and it certainly isn’t easy, but that daily empathy and intentionality is what builds resilient teams and creates loyal employees who feel valued, seen, and heard.” — Sarah Hardy, cofounder, Bobbie

4.  Plan interactions with intention.

“Leadership happens every minute of the day, so I try to be very conscious of how I show up in my interactions with the team. First, I dedicate at least 30 minutes every Sunday evening to planning my week, so I can invest most of my time proactively rather than reactively. I remove meetings, add meetings, block time for deep work, and write down the themes or messages I want to reinforce that week. Second, while honest feedback is critical, I believe most individuals benefit more from positive feedback. I often write down in advance the positive feedback or gratitude I want to share with someone in a meeting, ideally in front of their peers.” — Sami Inkinen, cofounder and CEO, Virta Health

Related: The Hidden Reason Your Team Feels Disconnected — and the 3 Easy Fixes Every Leader Needs

5. Practice calm and consistency.

“Culture starts at the top, and the way we treat one another every day determines whether people feel inspired to do their best work. Over the past several years, we’ve all faced reasons to be stressed — economic uncertainty, supply-chain disruptions, and rapid changes in retail — but I continually remind my team that we’ve overcome challenges before and will do so again. Consistency and calm are invaluable. I also believe leaders must treat their teams like adults with full lives outside of work. Flexibility and empathy — recognizing that life doesn’t pause for business — help create an environment where people want to show up, contribute, and stay for the long term.” — Patricia Nash, CEO, Patricia Nash Designs 

6. Leadership is about building more leaders.

“High-stakes moments should be the exceptions — times when a leader needs to trust their gut or make a quick call without all the data. But day-to-day leadership is almost the opposite. It’s about creating space for your team to think, act, and even make mistakes in a safe environment. That’s how people build confidence, develop judgment, and grow into leaders themselves. In the end, daily leadership isn’t about making every decision for the team. It’s about empowering people to make the call in their own domain so that, over time, the organization becomes stronger than any single leader.” — Bruno Lima, cofounder and CEO, Pura

Related: 6 Unspoken Leadership Rules That Protect Your Top Performers and Grow Your Business