It's important for business people to have good leadership qualities because businesses don't run themselves. Even for someone who doesn't directly supervise others, good leadership skills are valuable. For someone who does supervise others, they're essential for keeping the workplace happy, focused and efficient, which in turns impacts the bottom line very favorably. Having worked for and with those who had good leadership skills and those who didn't, I can tell you from personal experience that good leadership skills lead to workers who understand what is expected of them and who are encourage to meet and exceed those goals. Work flows more smoothly and thus more efficiently. Everyone stays focused on business goals, decreasing lost time and effort. And, perhaps most important, most workers are much more comfortable and even "happier" at their jobs with good leadership. Happy workers are more productive, more likely to stay than leave for a job that doesn't pay significantly more, and more likely to take the business's well-being seriously. While it's tough to exactly measure the benefits of good leadership, there is little question that it does pay off.