Timeless behaviors that help leaders inspire, innovate, and achieve results
Leadership can sometimes feel complicated, but research shows it comes down to a handful of behaviors anyone can learn. For more than four decades, The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership have given leaders a roadmap to inspire, innovate, and strengthen their teams. Here’s why these practices have stood the test of time—and how leaders are using them to make a real difference today.
A Quick History of The Five Practices®
Beginning over 4 decades ago, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner studied what leaders do when they are at their best. After gathering stories from thousands of people, they discovered five core behaviors that leaders consistently demonstrated. These became The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership®, the foundation of The Leadership Challenge® model now used worldwide to grow leadership at every level.
The Five Practices, in Practice
Model the Way
Modeling the way is about the kind of example you set for others. To do this well, leaders need to know what they stand for: what they believe in, how they communicate, and how their values inform their choices. When your actions line up with your words, others know they can trust you.
Example: A department head who values transparency holds monthly Q&A sessions with staff, answering questions candidly and following up on feedback. By living out openness, they set the tone for their entire team.
Inspire a Shared Vision
Being a leader means charting a course into an unknown future and inviting others to come with you. Inspiring a shared vision is about seeing where you want to go, painting a vivid picture of that destination, and sparking conversations about what it could mean for everyone involved.
Example: During a strategy shift, a leader helps the team imagine not just hitting numbers but how their work could improve the lives of customers. That shared picture becomes a rallying point during challenging months.
Challenge the Process
Challenging the process means being willing to question the way things are done and searching for opportunities to improve. It’s about taking initiative, trying new approaches, and learning from both wins and setbacks. Leaders who do this well create momentum for innovation and growth.
Example: A project manager notices inefficiencies in the team’s reporting process. Instead of accepting “that’s how it’s always been,” they test a new template with one group. When it saves hours each week, the process is adopted across the team.
Enable Others to Act
Leaders cannot succeed alone. Enabling others to act means building trust, encouraging collaboration, and empowering people to use their strengths. It’s about investing in relationships and helping others gain the confidence to lead in their own ways.
Example: A team leader assigns stretch projects to newer staff, pairing them with mentors for support. By trusting their abilities and providing guidance, the leader strengthens both confidence and capability across the group.
Encourage the Heart
Encouraging the heart is about letting people know you see and value their contributions. Leaders who show appreciation build workplaces where people feel proud, motivated, and excited to be part of the team. Recognition isn’t just about results—it’s also about effort, persistence, and spirit.
Example: After a tough quarter, a leader hosts a casual team lunch to celebrate progress, sharing specific examples of how each person made a difference. That recognition keeps morale high and commitment strong.
Why Organizations Use the Model
Organizations adopt The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® because they create both cultural and business impact. The practices give leaders a common language for what effective leadership looks like, and because they are based on human behaviors rather than titles, they apply at every level of the organization.
When leaders consistently apply these practices, organizations see benefits such as:
- Stronger engagement: Employees are more likely to stay and bring their best effort when leaders model values and recognize contributions.
- Improved performance: Companies with effective leadership practices often outperform peers on business results.
- Greater agility: Teams adapt more quickly to change when leaders encourage experimentation and collaboration.
- Sustainable pipelines: Growing leaders internally reduces turnover costs and prepares organizations for the future.
In short, leadership development is not just about growth for individuals—it is a proven driver of engagement, performance, and long-term success.
Leadership is not about position or title. It is about practicing behaviors that make a difference every day. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® give leaders at every level a clear starting point.
Continuing the Learning
For those who want to bring The Five Practices to life, FlashPoint offers opportunities to learn and apply them directly:
