What research, experience, and executive leadership reveal about how leaders truly rise
Organizations often focus heavily on credentials, technical expertise, and years of experience when identifying future leaders. While those factors matter, they do not fully explain why some professionals successfully transition into executive leadership while others struggle to sustain influence once they arrive there.
Throughout my career working across behavioral health, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and entrepreneurship, I have observed one consistent reality: leadership growth is rarely determined by a résumé alone. During my doctoral research examining women in executive leadership roles, four themes repeatedly emerged as critical contributors to leadership advancement and effectiveness: mentorship, communication skills, business acumen, and self-reflection (Gustus, 2023).
Years later, after serving as a consultant, executive coach, educator, and business owner, I continue to see these same four traits separating strong leaders from merely high-performing professionals. These are not simply “soft skills.” They are leadership multipliers.
Many of these same themes also emerged personally in my reflections on leadership, identity, and growth explored in Unapologetically Becoming (Gustus, 2025). Leadership development is not simply about acquiring authority; it is about evolving personally and professionally in ways that allow leaders to sustain influence over time.
Mentorship: Leadership Is Rarely Developed Alone
Many successful leaders can identify someone who challenged them, advocated for them, or expanded the way they viewed themselves professionally. Mentorship remains one of the most underestimated components of leadership development.
Organizations often treat mentorship as an optional initiative rather than a strategic investment. However, leadership growth accelerates when emerging leaders have access to individuals who can provide perspective, accountability, and honest feedback. Effective mentors do more than encourage; they help future leaders navigate organizational dynamics, strengthen decision-making skills, and develop executive presence.
One of the greatest misconceptions about leadership is the belief that talent alone guarantees advancement. In reality, exposure, guidance, and strategic relationships frequently shape leadership trajectories just as much as technical expertise.
Leaders who intentionally seek mentorship often develop greater confidence, adaptability, and emotional intelligence over time. Leadership is rarely developed in isolation.
Communication Skills: Leadership Through Words and Presence
Leadership is communication.
Regardless of industry, leaders spend much of their time communicating vision, managing conflict, navigating change, and influencing people. Yet many professionals ascend into leadership roles without fully developing the communication skills necessary to lead effectively.
Strong communication extends beyond public speaking or presentation skills. It includes active listening, emotional awareness, clarity, adaptability, and the ability to communicate effectively under pressure. Leaders who communicate well create trust, alignment, and psychological safety within organizations. Leaders who communicate poorly often create confusion, disengagement, and instability.
Research on emotional intelligence continues to demonstrate the connection between interpersonal awareness and leadership effectiveness (Goleman, 1998). Employees increasingly seek leaders who demonstrate transparency, empathy, and authenticity. People no longer follow authority alone; they follow credibility.
In today’s workplace, communication has become even more important as organizations navigate generational differences, hybrid work environments, burnout, and evolving expectations around workplace culture.
Business Acumen: Understanding the Bigger Picture
One of the most common leadership challenges is the transition from technical expertise to organizational leadership.
Being highly skilled in a profession does not automatically prepare someone to lead an organization. Exceptional clinicians do not automatically become exceptional executives. Great supervisors do not automatically become strategic leaders.
Leadership requires understanding how decisions impact operations, finances, staffing, organizational culture, risk management, and long-term sustainability. Business acumen allows leaders to move beyond task completion into strategic thinking.
Organizations that fail to develop business acumen within leadership pipelines often experience communication breakdowns, burnout, poor decision-making, and operational instability. Leadership development programs are most successful when they move beyond technical competencies and intentionally prepare leaders to think strategically and adapt organizationally (Born, 2024).
This is particularly important in mission-driven industries such as healthcare and behavioral health, where passionate professionals are often promoted into leadership roles without formal training in leadership or business operations.
Self-Reflection: The Most Overlooked Leadership Competency
Of the four themes, self-reflection may be the most important and the most overlooked.
Leadership inevitably exposes insecurities, communication habits, emotional triggers, and personal blind spots. The higher leaders rise, the more self-awareness becomes necessary. Self-reflective leaders are able to evaluate their behavior honestly, adjust their approach when necessary, and remain open to growth.
Research on authentic leadership emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, reflection, and alignment between values and behavior in building trust and long-term leadership effectiveness (Lux, 2024; Walumbwa et al., 2008).
Unfortunately, many organizations focus heavily on external performance while neglecting the internal development leaders need to sustain success. Without self-reflection, leaders often become reactive, defensive, or disconnected. With self-reflection, leaders become more adaptable, emotionally intelligent, and resilient.
The strongest leaders are not always the loudest or most charismatic. They are often the individuals who have done the internal work required to lead with clarity, humility, and purpose.
Leadership Development Must Evolve
As organizations prepare future leaders, leadership development must extend beyond technical training and management competencies alone.
The future of leadership development requires organizations to cultivate leaders who can think strategically, communicate effectively, build authentic relationships, and continuously evolve both personally and professionally.
Titles may open doors, but these four traits often determine whether leaders are able to sustain influence once they walk through them.
True leadership is not simply about achieving a position. It is about continuously becoming the kind of person capable of leading others well.
References
Born, D. H. (2024). What makes leadership development programs succeed. Journal of Character and Leadership Development.
Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
Gustus, A. I. (2023). The experiences of women executive leaders in a leadership development program (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies.
Gustus, A. I. (2025). Unapologetically becoming: The journey of a Black, LGBTQ+, faith-driven leader creating legacy on her own terms. Independently Published.
Lux, A. A. (2024). Authentic leadership: 20-year review editorial. Journal of Management & Organization.
Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., Gardner, W. L., Wernsing, T. S., & Peterson, S. J. (2008). Authentic leadership: Development and validation of a theory-based measure. Journal of Management, 34(1), 89–126.
About Author
Dr. Angela I. Gustus is a leadership strategist, educator, executive coach, and CEO with more than 30 years of experience across behavioral health, healthcare, nonprofit leadership, and organizational development. She is the CEO of CMAG & Associates LLC and the author of Unapologetically Becoming. Dr. Gustus frequently speaks and consults on leadership development, organizational strategy, and executive effectiveness.
