15 Superpower Traits Of People Who Are Natural-Born Leaders
People who are born to lead often exhibit these superpower traits.
Los Muertos Crew | Canva I think we all secretly dream of being a confident, charismatic, and assertive natural-born leader who takes charge of situations. They're a grown person who has their life together, they're driven, and a total bonus is that they have great leadership skills.
Though these people are often inaccurately depicted as being overbearingly dominant, cocky, and narcissistic, a natural-born leader knows how to make people follow them.
Here are the superpower traits of people who are natural-born leaders:
1. They take the lead
Whether it’s work, life, or play, they take the bull by its horns and confidently take charge. They often have an innate ability to step up, initiate action, and guide others toward a goal without explicit prompting.
A 2017 study found that this demonstrates a natural confidence and willingness to take responsibility, a key leadership characteristic. Natural leaders feel comfortable making decisions and providing direction, even in uncertain situations.
2. They're confident, not cocky
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They don't feel the need to brag or show off like a total jerk. They're confident they have the skills to back it.
3. They're ambitious
This kind of person knows exactly where they're heading in life and they have a clear plan on how to get there. They're very dedicated.
This fuels a strong drive to achieve goals, motivates them to take the initiative, inspires others to strive for excellence, and enables them to set and pursue challenging visions. A 2024 study concluded that this often leads to significant accomplishments and positive organizational change.
4. They make the people in their lives feel loved
They don’t need to whisper the words ‘I love you’ for people to know how they feel. People can tell by their actions.
5. People feel safe with them
And not that people need to be protected by them, but they are totally at ease in whatever situation arises; people know they're going to have their back and help them through any hurdle that comes their way. Great leaders also build trust and foster team confidence by creating a safe space for sharing ideas.
Research by the Congress for the New Urbanism explained that when team members know their thoughts and opinions are valued, they feel more confident and invested in their work. They trust their leaders more, and they trust themselves more, too.
6. They inspire people to be their best
This type of person is going places and their zest for life is infectious. They make people feel motivated to get their own lives together and smash some personal goals.
7. They spoil the people in their lives
They want the people in their lives to know that they think they’re the best and they show it, regularly. Whether they take the time to plan family dinners or small tokens of their affection to mark milestones in their relationships.
8. People can depend on them
If they say they're going to do something, people can depend on them. They're a person who lives by their word and people never worry about being stood up or let down last minute.
9. They're everyone’s go-to person
People know they’ve found a great person when they're loved and respected by many and they come to them for advice. They trust this person, so that has to tell people something.
This demonstrates their ability to build trust, inspire confidence, and offer support. This naturally draws people to them and positions them as the first point of contact for advice, solutions, or assistance.
Research published by The Wallace Foundation found that this quality often stems from a natural ability to build strong interpersonal relationships, fostering trust and loyalty among team members.
10. They're intelligent
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They're continually adding to their skill set and working on their personal development. They're the kind of people who believe that they never stop learning.
11. They dress sharply
Long gone are the days when they had more holes than fabric when it came to their clothes. They're stylish and someone people can implicitly trust when it comes to outfitting feedback too.
As they say, clothes don’t make the man, but they do make a difference. A fundamental objective when you view clothes is to wear your performance. A study published in The Journal of Business Research concluded that impressions formed and judgments made of others are commonly based on a leader's physical appearance. Leaders can actively shape their appeal through their choice of attire.
12. They're non-reactive
Whenever people give them feedback or want to talk about feelings, they don’t freak out. They're cool, calm, collected, and capable of having an adult conversation.
13. They're respectfully honest
They keep people accountable, pull them up, and give them feedback when they need it, and most importantly, people always know where they stand with them.
14. They don’t need external validation
They aren't a whiney little kid who needs a compliment every five minutes to function. People never have to constantly prop them up and place them on a pedestal, this type of person knows their worth.
15. They're never jealous
And finally, this type of person is so sure that they're the kind of aspirational grown person that everyone looks up to, they feel no need to be jealous, ever.
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