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Leaders are vital for organizations and have a significant impact on the success or failure of a business. Although there have been studies investigating the question “what makes a good leader”, few studies have explicitly focused on the retail sector. The study's primary objective is to identify the qualities and characteristics a good leader should possess, in the context of the retail industry in RSA.  A total of 107 respondents were interviewed and the results showed that “charisma” and “inspiration” are the most important characteristics, while “a character for integrity and honesty” and “knowledgeable and experienced” are the most important qualities of a good leader.

Leadership effectiveness is critical for organisational success. An assessment of the factors which promote leadership effectiveness is therefore warranted. The study sought to investigate the attributes of effective leaders within the retail industry and reveal how they influence the perceptions of subordinates of the level of leadership in the sector. A self-administered questionnaire was hand-delivered to a sample of managers employed by retailing firms in the greater Tshwane area. The researchers analysed survey data from 104 respondents, using exploratory factor analysis to tease out the factors representing the attributes of effective leaders relative to the level of leadership. The findings suggest that subordinates believed the level of leadership among retail managers to be average. The results of the multiple-factor analysis revealed four categories of attributes, namely skilful, inspiring, compassionate and persistent. The correlation analysis between the level of leadership and attributes of leadership/management team revealed the level of leadership to be significantly and positively related to skilful, inspiring and persistent. Our discussion highlights the importance of understanding the qualities that make an effective leader. The study furthers the results of the inquiry into leadership and suggests avenues for future research on enhancing leadership effectiveness among retail managers.