Effective leadership has been found to be a key determinant of organisational success. Effective leadership does not only involve the ability to influence and inspire others, it is the ability to lead subordinates according to the competencies that they value. The focus of this study is on determining what in fact the future South African graduate workforce will value in a leader. Effective leadership and the competencies that subordinate's value is especially relevant today as leadership is forced to contend with an increasingly diverse workforce. This diversity necessitates the need for a leadership style to be congruent with what subordinates of diverse genders and cultures will value, so to be effective. Existing studies have indicated that gender and culture influence what subordinate's value in a leader, however it is evident from the results of this study, that this is not entirely the case. Regarding gender, the female and male respondents in this study value similar competencies in their leader, indicating that there is no distinct set of competencies that will be valued by male and female graduates. With respect to culture, the respondents value a mixture of competencies that combine both African and Western leadership practices, values and philosophies, indicating that there is no distinct set of competencies that will be valued by African, Coloured, Indian and White graduates. On the basis of this research, the recommendation is that for leaders to be effective in the 21 st century, a leader must be loyal and inspirational, have vision and integrity and lastly must be open and honest with their subordinates