5 Remarkable Traits of Highly Successful Leaders

September 13, 2017

 

Your skills get you hired, but it’s your character that gets you promoted. The character you have can help you build strong relationships, push you to achieve your goals and give you the confidence to go to the next level, but your character can also hinder you. Some traits will lead others to mistrust or dislike you, some will lead you to focus on problems instead of solutions and other traits will allow you to give up before your end goal has been reached. Think about how much your traits have affected your life up to this point. Have you ever given up when aiming for a goal because you didn’t have the confidence or motivation to finish what you started? Have you ever made a promise to someone and didn’t live up to it? Have you ever gone against your own integrity and felt your reputation was compromised because of it? Have you ever lost a job, friend or loved one due to displaying your challenging character flaws? Chances are if you’re completely honest, you answered yes to at least 2 of those questions. These are all situations in which ‘character’ plays a huge role in your success.

I want to make sure you don’t misunderstand what I mean by success. What I’m talking about is overall LIFE success. I’ve met billionaires who are miserable. They may have successful careers, but can’t hold down a successful relationship. Or they have all the money and toys they desire but are in the worst physical shape and in bad health from being overworked. Success goes beyond how much money you have in your bank account. True Success is being able to say you’re completely happy with every area of your life. But to get to that level of success, you must start by building the type of character that will take you there.

I’ve spent years studying successful leaders to see which traits contributed directly to their success. And what I’ve found is astounding! There are over 20 remarkable traits they tend to have in common.

(Click play to watch Betsy’s TEDx talk on the top skills, traits , and habits of Impactful Leaders)

Here are the top 5 of those traits:

The traits you develop in life play a major role in your future success as a leader within any organization.

Tweet it!

 Take time to invest in your inner wardrobe so that you’re always dressed for success!
Click To Tweet

About Betsy: Featured on FOX, CBS, NBC, and ABC, Betsy Allen Manning is a high-energy leadership keynote speaker and workplace culture strategist who equips organizations across corporate, franchise, association, non-profit, and government sectors to develop high-achievers, high-impact leaders and high-purpose cultures. Through her national workplace research and DNA Activation Framework, she delivers data-backed, high-interaction keynote presentations and workshops that strengthen performance, leadership, and retention. Betsy is also the founder of Destination Workplace™, an award-winning leadership training company in Dallas, trusted by some of the world's most elite brands nationwide.


 

Betsy Allen-Manning

Leadership Speaker | Best Selling Author | Human Behavior Expert

www.BetsyAllenManning.com

Learn it & Live it:

You’ve learned it, now go live it and make it a great day because you deserve it!

Share the Quote Love!

By Betsy Allen-Manning September 8, 2026
A simple four-question workplace audit that surfaces broken communication, outdated processes, and the improvements your team is already waiting to name.
By Betsy Allen-Manning August 25, 2026
You can certify a manager in coaching and watch nothing change. Here’s the question to ask before approving another leadership training budget.
By Betsy Allen-Manning August 18, 2026
If developing new leaders isn’t on the calendar, it doesn’t exist. Three questions that reveal whether your company builds leaders or just promotes them.
By Betsy Allen-Manning August 11, 2026
When leadership overrides a manager, the whole team learns which rules are optional. How to protect your standard when you don’t have the final say.
By Betsy Allen-Manning August 4, 2026
Dishonesty is now ambient at work. See what it costs, and how leaders build Trusted Integrity back into a culture that lost it.
By Betsy Allen-Manning July 19, 2026
Proximity doesn’t create collaboration. Three research-backed moves to break silos and build a Destination Workplace, in person or remote.
By Betsy Allen-Manning July 14, 2026
Low turnover isn’t always good news. Learn the 3 signs of a retention culture worth bragging about, plus how to develop and keep your top performers.
By Betsy Allen-Manning July 7, 2026
42% of Gen Z plan to quit within a year. The fix isn’t pay, it’s development. See what the National Workplace Trends Study reveals about young talent.
By Betsy Allen-Manning June 30, 2026
How Trusted Integrity turns reliable leaders into a Destination Workplace where teams run on trust. Insights from the National Workplace Trends Study.
By Betsy Allen-Manning June 23, 2026
Deleting junior roles deletes your farm team. See how Destination Workplace® leaders use the Multiplier Mindset to develop their next generation.