What makes a great leader?

Lists of leadership qualities run long. The speakers here keep coming back to a few.

Brian Tracy says executives in every strategic planning session he has run name integrity as their first value. Kimberly Crowe and Sandi L Boucher both describe making people feel safe. Zack Kass and Kwame Christian focus on knowing when to adapt.

Their answers cover character, direction, and how a leader treats the people around them.

Who you should listen to

Seven speakers, including Frederik G. Pferdt, Google's first Chief Innovation Evangelist, and Kimberly Crowe, who has spoken on more than 5,000 stages. Listen for the leader you want to be.

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  Brian Tracy · Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International

  Listen for: Why integrity and respect come first.

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  Zack Kass · Global AI advisor and former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI

  Listen for: Holding a mission while changing the path, with Shackleton as the example.

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  Jamie Metzl · Futurist and founder of OneShared.World

  Listen for: Why power needs integrity and virtue needs influence.

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  Kimberly Crowe · Inspirational speaker and founder of Entrepreneurs Rocket Fuel

  Listen for: How her business grew when she built stages for others.

• 

  Sandi L Boucher · Anishinaabekwe speaker, traditional knowledge keeper, and author from Seine River First Nation

  Listen for: What she has seen go wrong when ego rushes in.

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  Frederik G. Pferdt · Google's first Chief Innovation Evangelist; taught at Stanford for 10+ years

  Listen for: Leading with questions about the future.

• 

  Kwame Christian · CEO of the American Negotiation Institute and host of Negotiate Anything

  Listen for: A leader who moved from coach to enforcer in a crisis.

What qualities do speakers say great leaders share?

Brian Tracy

Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International

Author of 45+ books

Why themClassic advice on goals, confidence, and public speaking.

Brian’s advice: Integrity first, and how much your people respect you decides how well they perform.

“A great leader is made, not born, and the core of it is integrity: in every strategic planning session I have run for large and small companies, the executives always name integrity as their first value. Beyond that, I have found that respect is the real fuel of leadership; how much your people respect you determines how well they perform.”

Go deeper with Brian

Zack Kass

Global AI advisor and former Head of Go-to-Market at OpenAI

Author of The Next RenAIssance

Why themA hopeful but grounded view of technology and work.

Zack’s advice: Pick a point in the distance, and adapt the path without giving up the mission.

“A great leader picks a point in the distance and convinces people to move toward it, like Shackleton did, but also knows when to adapt the path without surrendering the mission. In an age of unmetered intelligence, that balance between clear conviction and behavioral adaptability is the whole game.”

Go deeper with Zack

Jamie Metzl

Futurist and founder of OneShared.World

Author of Superconvergence

Why themThinks across technology, genetics, and biotech.

Jamie’s advice: Wisdom over dominance: self-cultivation and moral clarity.

“Great leadership, in my view, is less about dominance than about self-cultivation and moral clarity. I wrote in The AI Ten Commandments that we should value wisdom over dominance, because power without integrity is dangerous and virtue without influence is weak.”

Go deeper with Jamie

Kimberly Crowe

Inspirational speaker and founder of Entrepreneurs Rocket Fuel

Spoken on 5,000+ stages

Why themPractical on stage presence and getting booked.

Kimberly’s advice: Make people feel safe enough to step up, and build stages for others.

“A great leader, to me, is someone who makes the people around them feel safe enough to step up and shine. I watched my own business grow only when I stopped trying to be the only one on stage and started building stages for others.”

Go deeper with Kimberly

Sandi L Boucher

Anishinaabekwe speaker, traditional knowledge keeper, and author from Seine River First Nation

Best-selling author

Why themGuidance on inclusion and reconciliation from lived experience.

Sandi’s advice: Make people safe to grow, and stay humble enough to keep learning.

“A great leader, in my eyes, is someone who makes people feel safe enough to grow while staying humble enough to keep learning themselves. I watched leadership go wrong when ego rushed in, and go right when patience, awareness, tenacity, and humility were the tools someone actually carried.”

Go deeper with Sandi

Frederik G. Pferdt

Google's first Chief Innovation Evangelist; taught at Stanford for 10+ years

Former Google innovation lead

Why themHelps people act on the future instead of waiting for it.

Frederik’s advice: Ask "What if," and invite others to help find the way to a better future.

“A great leader, in my experience, is someone who asks What if instead of claiming to have all the answers. They paint a desirable future and invite others to help find the way there.”

Go deeper with Frederik

Kwame Christian

CEO of the American Negotiation Institute and host of Negotiate Anything

Two-time bestselling author

Why themPractical on negotiating salary and handling difficult people.

Kwame’s advice: Read the room and adjust, even when the right move is uncomfortable.

“A great leader, in my experience, is someone who can read the room and adjust even when the required move feels uncomfortable. I once watched a leader have to shift from coach to enforcer in a crisis because it was the only way to keep people safe, and that willingness to sacrifice comfort for effectiveness is what separated them from the rest.”

Go deeper with Kwame

Everyone’s advice at a glance

What makes a great leader, quality by quality

1. 1

   Integrity. Brian Tracy says executives always name it as their first value. Jamie Metzl says power without integrity is dangerous.

2. 2

   A clear direction. Zack Kass describes picking a point in the distance and convincing people to move toward it. Frederik G. Pferdt paints a desirable future and invites others to help find the way there.

3. 3

   Making people feel safe. Kimberly Crowe and Sandi L Boucher both say great leaders make people feel safe enough to step up and grow.

4. 4

   Humility. Sandi L Boucher has watched leadership go wrong when ego rushed in. Frederik G. Pferdt asks "What if" instead of claiming to have all the answers.

5. 5

   Willingness to adapt. Kwame Christian watched a leader shift from coach to enforcer in a crisis to keep people safe. Zack Kass says a leader adapts the path without surrendering the mission.

6. 6

   Respect. Brian Tracy says how much your people respect you determines how well they perform.