Abstract
To explore the indigenous characteristics of leadership, in-depth interviews with Pakistani leaders N=20 (Male n=10; Female n=10) were conducted. The participants were taken from five different domains. Life story approach was used in the interviews to obtain characteristics of leaders. The interview questions were based on leader centered trait and skill models (Fleenor, 2011). In the qualitative analysis the interviews were coded and the list of codes was established. The final list of characteristics was established using content analysis .The results revealed that honesty, hard work, management skills and passion were the most frequent characteristics of leadership. Those factors which played a very significant role in the life of leaders were also analyzed. They included the role of co-curricular activities, role of parents and teachers, role of support group, reading habit and disciplined environment of home. The current research findings are expected to open new directions for the upcoming researchers in the field of organizational psychology.