I’ve been working for about 19 years, and I’ve often wondered what good leadership actually is.
There are countless schools of thought on this topic and infinite ways to define leadership. I’ve worked with so many different kinds of people that recognising what isn’t good has become easy.
For me, the answer to ‘what is good leadership’ centres on compassion, empathy, and the ability to listen with the intent to understand, not to correct or diminish. At the heart of this belief is the fundamental need to feel genuinely heard.
Being heard builds trust and fosters collaboration. In a moment of dismissal—intentional or not—both trust and collaboration retreat to protect themselves. They shrink inward, working overtime to shield the confidence we’ve carefully built as we navigate the world, grow, and become more self-aware.
When leadership fails to create space for genuine listening, it doesn’t just damage productivity or morale. It damages something more fundamental: our willingness to be vulnerable, to share ideas, to trust that our voices matter.
The ripple effects extend far beyond a single conversation, shaping how we show up in future interactions and whether we believe our contributions have value.
Maybe leadership isn’t about having all the answers, but about creating an environment where others feel safe to share theirs. Where being heard isn’t a privilege to be earned, but a basic human dignity to be honoured.
