The Two Core Traits Every Real Leader Has

Let’s get this out of the way: a title doesn’t make you a leader. Leadership is a character trait, not a job description. You’re either becoming one, or you’re not. And if you’re not, that’s okay because the two traits we’re talking about here will still change your life.

Whether you’re leading a team, a company, or just trying to level up as a human being, it all comes down to this: attitude and consistency.

That’s it, just mindset and effort. Master these two, and the rest takes care of itself.

Attitude: The Leader’s Starting Line

Leadership starts in your head. Specifically, how you talk to yourself when things get hard. The best leaders I’ve met aren’t delusional optimists. They’re realists with hope. They see the problem, but they also see the path through it.

They don’t say, “Everything’s fine,” when it’s not. They say, “I’m not okay yet… but I will be.” That little word, *yet, *carries real power. It gives everyone on the team permission to be a work in progress. Because that’s what we are. No one has it all figured out. If they do, they’re not growing. 

Take Edison. If he had believed failure was permanent, we’d still be using candles. He hoped things would improve and he knew they would because he was working towards the solution.

And here’s the truth: I’ve never met a pessimistic leader. Optimism, grounded in reality, is a prerequisite. Not because everything always works out, it doesn’t, but because they believe it can, if they keep going. That’s the key. They don’t quit. They find a way to make it work. 

2. Consistency: The Thing That Separates Dreamers from Doers

You can believe in yourself all day, but unless you’re actually making the damn sandwich, you’re still hungry.

That’s the difference between having a vision and living it. You want to be a great parent, manager, teammate, or founder? Cool. What are you doing daily to make that real?

Motivation is fleeting. Discipline is king. And the best leaders build systems that make action automatic, even on the days they don’t feel like it. Consistency turns a good attitude into results. Without it, your optimism is just wishful thinking. With it, your vision becomes reality. That’s what it takes to be a visionary: you have to put in the work every day to make what you want happen. 

The Power of 1%: Why Tiny Efforts Matter More Than You Think

British Cycling was a joke in the early 2000s. Zero Tour de France wins. Olympic results? Meh. Then they brought in Dave Brailsford, who introduced “marginal gains,” improving every little thing by just 1%.

They optimized seat comfort. Dialed in nutrition. Painted the inside of trucks white to spot dust. Small, daily tweaks. They kept focusingn on things in their control. Then, over time? It was a total transformation. And it was a lot of time before they could see the fruits of their efforts. That’s the funny thing about effort and change, you rarely see the results until years down the road of continued action. 

But, ten years later, British Cycling had 60% of gold medals at the 2012 Olympics and Five Tour de France titles in six years.

Why does it work? Because 1% better every day compounds.

1.01³⁶⁵ = 37.78

You don’t just get a little better, you get exponentially better.

That’s what leaders do. They show up. They stack small wins. They focus on the process. They trust the compounding effect of time and effort. 

Want to lead? Start small. Think long. Show up. That’s it.

You’ve got this.