A few weeks ago, I asked my LinkedIn network to finish this sentence:
“The best leader I ever worked with …”
Over the next few days, the comments lit up with answers that were equal parts heart-warming and hard-won. When I read through them all, seven clear behaviors jumped out from the screen that set “best ever” leaders apart from the rest.
Here are the themes from the people that experienced them:
Best ever leaders…
… see potential you don’t yet see in yourself.
Matt Cross put it simply: “… they saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.” Ken Boxer added that his best ever leader “believed in me to let me accomplish spectacular things very early in my career.” When leaders see and articulate potential, people rise to match it.
… create space and room to learn.
Freedom to act showed up again and again. Doug Chapin recalled the leader who “gave me the freedom to make mistakes and didn’t make me feel bad when I did,” while Kerry Morgan praised a boss who “gave me room to try new ideas and the grace needed when they failed.” Empowerment without blame is rocket fuel for growth.
… build real psychological safety.
Matthew Murray described a climate “where I felt comfortable sharing ideas, taking risks, and learning from mistakes without fear of judgment or reprisal—while also holding me accountable for my commitments.” Safety plus standards is what turns creativity into high performance.
… coach ‘em up for the long game.
Leadership often looks a lot like coaching. Regina Haney highlighted a boss who “provided mentorship to many,” and Joe Cimbak pointed to a leader who was “equally smart intellectually and emotionally, thus sparking creativity and a sense of shared ownership.” Great leaders multiply themselves by growing others.
… walk their talk.
Darcie Slanker Milazzo summed it up: her best ever leader “walked their talk, had my back—mistakes and all—and invited me into conversations ‘above my pay grade.’” HsuanHua Chang noticed the same alignment, calling her leader “authentic and fair.” Credibility isn’t proclaimed; it’s demonstrated.
… communicate with clarity and respect.
Mike Caracalas praised a leader who was “clear and honest about what they wanted and respectful in the way they asked for it.” Clarity combined with courtesy eliminates both the guesswork and the drama.
… care about the human, not just the employee.
David Hoey discovered, weeks after the fact, that his USAF commander quietly made a single phone call that secured lifesaving medical care for David’s wife. “It kept me in the Air Force,” he wrote, “and inspired me to really take care of my people.” Hope Rennells echoed the sentiment: “My best ever leader saw employees as people first, staff second.”
Bringing it home
What strikes me is how humanistic these behaviors are.
None require a big budget or deep technical skill; they turn on daily choices like seeing, trusting, listening, guiding, and caring.
They weave together self-management (knowing and living your values) with outward leadership (creating the conditions for others to thrive). That intersection is exactly where the next phase of our conversation is headed.
As you read through the list, pick one behavior you can double-down on this week. Maybe it’s granting a little more rope, carving out real time for mentorship, or simply letting a teammate know you see something extraordinary in them.
Small moves compound quickly. Consistently follow through on your intention and someday someone on your team may tell a story that begins, “The best leader I ever worked with …,” and ends with you.
Stay tuned for what comes next. Something exciting is on the horizon, and I can’t wait to explore with you what it means and what it takes for each of us to become our best ever.
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