Top 10 Ways to Be a Better Leader: Habits Backed by Research
Most advice on leadership is opinion. This list is built on something firmer: the ten behaviors of effective managers that Google published from its multi-year study of what makes a good manager, plus Gallup survey data on how much managers shape their teams. For each habit you get what it means, what to try this week and the mistake to avoid. At the end there is a self-check and a 30-day plan.
What the research says
Google’s re:Work site describes Project Oxygen, a multi-year study that analyzed more than 10,000 data points about managers from performance reviews and feedback surveys, plus hundreds of pages of interview notes. It reports that teams with highly effective managers were more likely to achieve better results, be happier and have lower turnover. The site lists ten key behaviors of highly effective managers in its guide Following the data: the research behind great managers. Our list follows those ten.
Gallup, a polling and research firm, says managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement. See its page on how managers impact team productivity. Variance is a statistical idea and does not mean managers cause 70% of everything. It means that, across teams, the manager is the biggest single factor Gallup found in why engagement differs.
Both sources come with limits, covered in the last sections. Treat them as strong clues, not guarantees. If you want a map of leadership skills and programs first, start with Be a Leader. This page is the practical list.
The ten habits at a glance
| # | Habit (Google’s wording) | In plain English | Try this week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Be a good coach | Help people improve through questions and feedback | Hold a 30-minute one-to-one with each person |
| 2 | Empower the team without micromanaging | Give people real ownership | Hand over one task completely |
| 3 | Create a team environment that values everyone | Everyone can speak and be heard | Ask the quietest person first in your next meeting |
| 4 | Focus on productivity and results | Agree outcomes, not just activity | Write each person’s top three results for the month |
| 5 | Communicate effectively | Listen well and share what you know | Send a short weekly update, and ask for replies |
| 6 | Support career development and discuss performance | Talk about growth and how work is going | Ask each person where they want to be in two years |
| 7 | Implement a clear vision and strategy | Everyone knows where the team is going and why | Write the team purpose in one sentence |
| 8 | Have key technical skills | Know the work well enough to guide it | Spend an hour with someone doing the job |
| 9 | Collaborate across Google | Work with other teams (here: across your organization) | Meet one peer manager you rarely talk to |
| 10 | Make strong decisions | Decide, explain, and revisit when facts change | Clear one decision you have been putting off |
1–5: Coaching, trust, focus, clarity
1. Be a good coach
Coaching means helping someone get better at the job, mostly by asking rather than telling. Gallup surveyed nearly 15,000 employees and reported that 80% of those who received meaningful feedback in the past week were fully engaged, and that only 16% said their last conversation with their manager was extremely meaningful. It also reported that regular 15- to 30-minute conversations had more impact than 30- to 60-minute ones. That is correlation from a survey, but the practical message is clear: short, regular and useful beats long and rare.
- Try: a weekly one-to-one of 30 minutes. Let the other person set the agenda. Ask “What is getting in your way?” and “What would help most from me?”
- Avoid: turning the one-to-one into a status report you could have read.
2. Empower the team without micromanaging
People do better work when they own it. The trick is matching freedom to experience and risk. This four-level scale is our own simple tool:
| Level | What you say | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Do as I describe | “Here is exactly how to do it.” | New person, high risk, tight rules |
| 2. Recommend first | “Bring me your plan before you act.” | Some experience, moderate risk |
| 3. Decide, then tell me | “Go ahead and let me know what you chose.” | Proven judgment, reversible decisions |
| 4. Own it | “This is yours. Come to me only if you need help.” | Strong track record, clear boundaries |
- Try: pick one task and move it up a level this month. Say the level out loud so the person knows.
- Avoid: handing over a task and then redoing it. People learn quickly that ownership is fake.
3. Create a team environment that values everyone
- Try: ask the quietest person for their view first. Rotate who runs the meeting. Credit ideas by name.
- Avoid: letting the loudest voice settle every discussion. Read our guide on ethical leadership for the fairness side of this habit.
4. Focus on productivity and results
Gallup reports that 76% of employees who were included in goal setting strongly agreed they knew what was expected of them, compared with 47% of those who were not. Clear goals are not enough, but unclear goals make everything else harder.
- Try: write down each person’s top three results for the month and have them check you have it right.
- Avoid: measuring hours and busyness. Measure what was delivered and whether it mattered.
5. Communicate effectively
- Try: a five-line weekly note: what we did, what is next, what is at risk, what I need from you, what I need from others. Then ask what is unclear.
- Avoid: assuming that saying something once means it was heard. Repeat important messages in more than one way.
6–10: Growth, direction, craft, reach, decisions
6. Support career development and discuss performance
Give honest feedback regularly, not just at review time, and ask people where they want to go. Our guide to understanding performance evaluations covers the formal side.
- Try: ask “What do you want to be doing in two years, and what would you like to learn next?” Write down one action for each of you.
- Avoid: surprises. Nothing in a review should be news.
7. Implement a clear vision and strategy
Gallup reports that linking employees’ work to the organization’s mission or purpose was associated with 32% lower turnover and a 15% productivity improvement (2024). That is an association, not proof of cause, but it shows why a clear purpose is worth the effort.
- Try: finish this sentence in one line: “Our team exists so that [who] can [what], which matters because [why].” Test it on the team.
- Avoid: a slogan nobody can connect to daily work.
8. Have key technical skills
You do not have to be the best at the job, but you need enough knowledge to ask good questions, judge quality and earn credibility. The trap runs the other way as well: managers who keep doing the technical work instead of leading.
- Try: spend an hour a month watching someone do the work, without fixing it.
- Avoid: taking over tasks because you can do them faster.
9. Collaborate across the organization
Most teams depend on other teams. Leaders who know their peers solve problems faster and get resources sooner.
- Try: list the five teams you depend on most. Meet one this month and ask what would make it easier to work with you.
- Avoid: making your first contact a complaint.
10. Make strong decisions
A strong decision is timely, explained and open to revision when facts change. Distinguish between decisions that are easy to reverse and those that are not, and move faster on the first kind. We cover this in why project manager decisiveness matters.
- Try: clear one decision you have been putting off. Tell people what you decided and why.
- Avoid: asking for “more data” when the real issue is fear of being wrong.
A manager’s week: where the time goes
Good habits need time. This made-up manager has eight direct reports and a 40-hour week.
| Activity | Calculation | Hours per week |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly one-to-ones | 8 people × 0.5 hour | 4.0 |
| Team meeting | 1 meeting × 1 hour | 1.0 |
| Weekly update and planning | 1.5 | |
| Working with other teams | 3.0 | |
| Subtotal on people and coordination | 9.5 |
One-to-ones alone take 4 ÷ 40 = 10% of the week, and the subtotal is 9.5 ÷ 40 = 23.75%, or about a quarter. Many new managers are surprised that this is the job and not a distraction from it. If your calendar has no room for it, something else has to move. A larger team makes the arithmetic harder, so ask what number of direct reports you can lead well.
Self-check: rate yourself
Rate yourself from 1 (rarely) to 5 (consistently) on each habit. Then ask three people on your team to rate you anonymously. The gaps teach you more than the scores.
Leader self-check
1. Coach: I have a regular, useful one-to-one with each person. ___
2. Empower: People own their work, and I do not redo it. ___
3. Include: Everyone speaks in meetings. ___
4. Results: Each person can name their top results. ___
5. Communicate: People say they know what is going on. ___
6. Develop: I know each person’s career goals. ___
7. Vision: The team can state its purpose. ___
8. Craft: I understand the work well enough to guide it. ___
9. Reach: I have working relationships with other teams. ___
10. Decide: Decisions are timely and explained. ___
Total (out of 50): ___ · Two lowest habits to work on first: ___ and ___
There is no official cut-off. If your own scores and your team’s scores differ by two or more points on a habit, start there.
A 30-day plan
- Week 1. Do the self-check and collect anonymous ratings. Pick two habits.
- Week 2. Start weekly one-to-ones, or improve them. Try one new practice from each chosen habit.
- Week 3. Ask the team what is working and what is not. Adjust.
- Week 4. Repeat the ratings. Compare. Choose the next habit, and keep the first two going.
Change takes months, not weeks. The point of 30 days is to build the routine.
Limits of the evidence
- Project Oxygen studied managers at one company, a large technology firm. The behaviors may not transfer perfectly to a small shop, a hospital or a factory.
- Most findings here show association, not cause. Teams with good managers may differ in other ways.
- Survey statistics depend on who answered and how questions were worded.
- Leadership also depends on context. Read about contingency theory for why the best approach changes with the situation.
Learn more
See our guides on the differences between a boss and a leader, five leadership styles for managers, team-building techniques and job satisfaction in the workplace. The full set is in the leadership hub.
Online providers such as Coursera and LinkedIn Learning list leadership and management courses. We may earn a commission if you sign up, at no cost to you. We are not affiliated with any university. Check each syllabus for practice exercises, not only videos, since habits come from doing.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good leader?
Research on managers, including Google’s Project Oxygen, points to behaviors such as coaching, giving people ownership, communicating clearly, supporting growth, setting a clear direction and making sound decisions. Character matters too. See our guide to ethical leadership.
How can I become a better leader quickly?
Start with a weekly one-to-one with each person on your team, and ask for honest feedback on how you lead. Small, regular habits beat big plans.
What are the 10 behaviors of effective managers?
Google lists: be a good coach; empower the team without micromanaging; create a team environment that values everyone; focus on productivity and results; communicate effectively; support career development and discuss performance; implement a clear vision and strategy; have key technical skills; collaborate across the organization; make strong decisions.
Can leadership be learned?
Gallup reports that managers who completed upskilling programs showed higher team engagement and lower turnover than peers. Studies differ, but the evidence supports the idea that practice and training help.
How long are one-to-one meetings meant to be?
Gallup reported that regular 15- to 30-minute conversations had more impact than 30- to 60-minute ones. Pick a length you can keep up every week.
Is a leader the same as a manager?
Not always. Managers have formal responsibility for a team. Leaders influence others, with or without a title. Good managers do both.
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