The Modern Leader series: A fresh take on leadership

Discover actionable insights released biweekly, designed to help you elevate your own leadership impact and drive the business results you seek.

So, how do you know if you’re a modern leader?

Modern leaders create business value by prioritizing critical business opportunities and challenges, leading and empowering those around them, and embracing everyday and defining moments to deliver meaningful impact.

Through new research with The Harris Poll (publishing Summer 2025), we’ve discovered six core attributes that make modern leaders most effective. They:

• Lead with gratitude​
• Listen and empathize​
• Foster an inclusive culture​
• Connect strategy with employee growth​
• Calibrate communication​
• Enable employee success​

To see additional ways you can differentiate yourself as a modern leader, check out the collection of modern leadership attributes (added bi-weekly) here.

Modern leadership attribute No. 1: Make gratitude matter

Transform quick “thank yous” into meaningful moments by being specific about what someone did and why it matters.

Detailed appreciation helps employees understand their impact and reinforces behaviors that drive success. Make it timely — recognize contributions soon after they happen when the impact is fresh.

Beyond timely, appreciation should be specific, actionable and personalized to be most effective. It can be delivered both one-on-one and in group settings when appropriate.

For example, instead of saying, “Thank you for your hard work,” say, “I noticed how you stepped up to mentor our new team member this week. Your patience in walking them through our processes helped them get up to speed quickly and showed real leadership.”

Read more on gratitude and other ways to connect with your team.

Check out more modern leadership attributes!