(This article was published in a 2022 Special Edition of Measuring Business Excellence, a peer-reviewed journal from Emerald Publishing). Medical errors have become the third leading cause of death in the USA. Two million deaths from preventable medical errors will occur annually worldwide each year. The purpose of this paper was to find themes from the literature relating leadership styles – leadership approaches in practice – with success in reducing medical errors and patient safety. The review found three leadership approaches and four leadership actions connected to successfully reducing medical errors and improving patient safety. The review concluded that leadership appeared to be the preeminent factor in reducing medical errors and improving patient safety. It also found that positive leadership approaches, regardless of the safety intervention, led to improving results and outcomes.