Good leaders know who they are—their strengths, weaknesses, passions, talents, and values. And, developing leaders always starts with self-awareness.
To guard our character with unwavering commitment, our best protection comes from being humbly aware of our vulnerability.
Courage is leaning into the doubts and fears to do what you know is right even when it doesn’t feel natural or safe.
Leaders can choose to grow and change, but generally the most powerful predictor of future performance is past behavior. Evaluate them realistically.
Affirming others isn’t ‘flattering’ them—it’s when you genuinely and consistently acknowledge their efforts and accomplishments, both large and small. Make affirmation a habit and watch what happens!
Over-communicating is the glue that holds a high-performing team together and keeps them focused in the same direction. And, it circles back to clarity. Without good, consistent communication, you don’t have clarity.
Good teams are committed to the team mission and to each other personally. Good leaders inspire and build this commitment and trust.
Professional accountability is a good thing. Without it, excellence is merely a pipe dream and even average performance isn’t a realistic expectation.
We all want to ‘count for something’–to make a difference. And, accountability helps us get where want to go in terms of achieving our goals and fulfilling our responsibilities.
As is often the case with children, the rule of ‘monkey see, monkey do’ plays out in the workplace. It’s hard to be good role model, and it’s one of the greatest challenges of leadership.
…some leaders don’t want to celebrate with their team because they are afraid—yes, afraid that if they celebrate, people will quit working hard and lower the standards. I say don’t let your fear take you out.
Leaders must be good listeners. It’s rule number one, and it’s the most powerful thing they can do to build trusted relationships.