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Horatius Bonar on the kinds of men used by the Holy Spirit:

1. They are in earnest: “They lived and labored and preached like men on whose lips the immortality of thousands hung.”
2. They are bent on success: “As warriors, they set their hearts on victory and fought with the believing anticipation of triumph, under the guidance of such a Captain as their head.”
3. They are men of faith: “They knew that in due season they should reap, if they fainted not.”
4. They are men of labor: “Their lives are the annals of incessant, unwearied toil of body and soul; time, strength, substance, health, all they were and possessed they freely offered to the Lord, keeping back nothing, grudging nothing.”
5. They are men of patience: “Day after day they pursued what, to the eye of the world, appeared a thankless and fruitless round of toil.”
6. They are men of boldness: “Timidity shuts many a door of usefulness and loses many a precious opportunity; it wins no friends, while it strengthens every enemy. Nothing is lost by boldness, nor gained by fear.”
7. They are men of prayer: “They were much alone with God, replenishing their own souls out of the living fountain, that out of them might flow to their people rivers of living water.”
8. They are men of strong doctrine: “Their preaching seems to have been of the most masculine and fearless kind, falling on the audience with tremendous power. It was not vehement, it was not fierce, it was not noisy; it was far too solemn to be such; it was massive, weighty, cutting, piercing, sharper than a two-edged sword.”
9. They are men of deep spirituality: “No frivolity, no flippancy . . . . The world could not point to them as being but slightly dissimilar from itself.”

From Catalyst blog: 10 attributes of a humble leader:

Dangerous Trust – Humility always demands a certain level of trust. A humble leader is willing to take a risk on others, trusting them with the sacredness of the vision, even at the chance they may be disappointed with the outcome.
Sincere Investment – Humble leaders know the vision is bigger and will last longer than they will, so they willingly invest in others, raising up and maturing new leaders.
Gentle, but strong – One can’t be a leader and be weak. Every position of leadership will provide a challenge to the leader, but humble leaders have learned the balance between being gentle and remaining strong. (Think Jesus!)
Readily Admits Mistakes – Everyone makes mistakes. In fact, we often learn more through failure than through success. The humble leader is quick to admit when he or she has done wrong and deals with the fault-out without casting blame or making excuses.
Forgives easily – Leadership is filled with disappointment; often at the expense of other’s mistakes. A humble leader forgives easily, remembering how many times he or she has been forgiven.
Quickly diverts attention – We all like to be recognized for accomplishments, but a humble leader is quick to divert attention to others, sharing the limelight for successes with those, who many times, may have even had more to do with the success than the leader did. They celebrate the success of others louder than personal success
Remains thankful – A humble leader is appreciative of the input of others into his or her leadership. So much so, that a humble leader naturally praises the actions of others far more than the time spent patting themselves on the back for personal accomplishments. Humble leaders recognize that all good gifts come from above.
Recognizes Limitations – No one can do everything. A humble has the ability to say, “I can’t do that or I’m not the one who should”.
Shares authority – Humble leaders don’t take all the key assignments for themselves, but gives out prime responsibility and authority to people he or she is leading.
Invites feedback – A humble leader wants to learn from his or her mistakes and wants to continually see improvement. Humble leaders initiate other’s suggestions and feedback, not waiting until complaints come, but personally asking for the input.
Humility is not putting yourself down as a leader. It’s ultimately recognizing who you are in view of Christ and others. The danger in not being a humble leader or considering ourselves better than others, is that one day we may be “humbled”. Many of us learn humility the hard way.

From Thom Rainer:Seven Personality Traits of Effective Leaders

What then are the personality traits of effective leaders? Here are the seven I discovered in the order of frequency. I use the past tense in the seven items below since a majority of the leaders I studied were deceased.

1. They had intense personalities. The list included both introverts and extroverts, so intensity is not the same as an exuberant personality. Rather, these leaders had a focus and determination that was evident even if they were quiet and calm on the surface.
2. They had attitudes of gratitude. These leaders saw each day and each opportunity as a gift. They had the opposite of an entitlement mentality. As they rose through the ranks of their respective professions, they rarely complained or whined about their environment, pay, benefits, or lack of promotions. They were just grateful for the opportunities they had been given.
3. They were intensely loyal. They were loyal to the organizations, to their superiors, to those who worked for them, and to their fellow employees and co-workers. Theirs was not a blind loyalty, but it was a deep and forgiving loyalty.
4. They were joyous. Though their personalities were diverse, most of these leaders had a joy about them that was contagious. Some of the leaders manifest their joy with a winsome sense of humor. Others demonstrated joy by their ongoing contentment of life and its opportunities.
5. They were self-deprecating. These leaders had a security that allowed them to be vulnerable and self-deprecating. They did not try to hide their weaknesses or lack of knowledge; indeed they often made fun of themselves. But if they had a leadership weakness, they would constantly strive to overcome the weakness, often unashamedly asking others for help.
6. They were self-aware. Most of these leaders did not need an inventory or aptitude test to help them discover their weaknesses. To the contrary, they typically knew their weaknesses and, as noted above, would unashamedly let others know about their deficiencies.
7. They had a constructive spirit. Everyone knows leaders and other people who are constantly complaining or pointing out the problems of others. These leaders, to the contrary, had the opposite of a negative spirit; they had a constructive spirit. They encouraged and praised people; or they dealt with others’ weaknesses and deficiencies in a constructive way.

Also from Thom Rainer: 8 Traits of Legacy Leaders (“ordered logically rather than by importance”).

1. Fierce Biblical Faithfulness
Legacy Leaders do far more than merely believe the truth claims of Scripture; they also passionately live out their beliefs. In our research, we found many leaders that claimed to believe the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God. But far too often we found little fruit or ministry that backed up that belief. Belief in the authority of Scripture is requisite for church leaders. But Legacy Leaders both believe and act upon their belief.
2. Tenure
Legacy Leaders are willing and even want to have long-term ministries in one setting. Many churches are mired in unhealthy structures and traditions that cannot be reversed in a short period. Legacy Leaders have a long-term view of ministry and are ever persistent in moving the church forward.
3. Confident Humility
Part of this was evidenced in the leadership jump from Level 3 to Level 4. That seemed to be the point we noticed leaders becoming confident in their ability to lead. But the more important aspect, humility, was evidenced in the jump from Level 5 to Level 6. We found Legacy Leaders’ confidence centered on what God was doing in their lives and less on their own inherent abilities.
4. Acceptance of Responsibility
Many leaders face difficult decisions and deal with difficult people. But the contrast between a Legacy Leader and others is stark. Weak leaders blame people and circumstances. Legacy Leaders refuse to blame their circumstances or competitors. They accept the responsibility that comes with being a leader and see God’s possibilities in even difficult situations.
5. Unconditional Love of People
Despite the pains and trials they experience, Legacy Leaders express a love for their people. Many view the model of Christ’s unconditional love to be emblematic for their own ministries. And although they cannot match the love of Christ in its depth, they can demonstrate it in their unconditional acceptance of all their followers.
6. Persistence
An obvious parallel exists between persistence and long tenure. Persistence differs in that it includes the fulfillment of goals regardless of the time needed to complete the task. Persistent, never-say-die leadership is a key difference found in Legacy Leaders. Giving up may be tempting to them, but it’s never an option.
7. Outwardly-Focused Vision
Legacy Leaders don’t just grasp vision, communicate vision, and implement vision. They consistently have a vision that is outwardly-focused. The key component of their vision is to reach those not yet a part of what they are leading. The vision they communicate inevitably reflects the priority of having others join in their mission.
8. A Desire for a Lasting Legacy
One of the key distinguishing marks of a Legacy Leader is the desire to see their organization do well and make a difference beyond the time of their leadership. The ambition and drive of these leaders cannot be denied. And that ambition is not limited to their personal successes. They are ambitious for their organization to be thriving and healthy well beyond their time of service and beyond even their lifetimes.