You have worked for great leaders and, well, not so great ones. What makes the difference? What makes some leaders inspirational and invigorating, and others disappointing and even terrifying? More importantly, how do YOU become one of the great ones? What are the habits of great leaders?
8 Great Habits That Make Great Leaders
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Honesty
Great leaders are honest with the people that work for them or depend on them. They don’t lie to you about giving you a promotion in the future so you don’t leave the company. They don’t tell you that you did “great work” and then tell others that it was bad. They don’t tell you “business is fine” when they know sales are down and there will be layoffs.
Great leaders give you the straight truth. Period.
2. Authenticity
Not only are great leaders honest with others, but they are also — perhaps more importantly — honest with themselves. They don’t walk around believing that they are always right just because they are in charge. They are confident in what they know and aware of and comfortable in what they do not know. They don’t try to be someone they are not.
3. Curiosity
Great leaders ask more questions than give answers. If they do not agree with a recommendation or like a work product, they seek to understand why it’s different than his or her expectations before reacting.
Before drawing conclusions, they ask questions like “did you consider ABC?” or “how does this compare to XYZ?”
They seek to understand first because (as noted above) they are aware that they aren’t experts and do not know everything.
4. Vulnerability
When I started working, I thought I had to “show no weakness.” I couldn’t show when I was worried about a project, struggling with my workload, or even the fact that my grandmother had passed away (I just told my manager that I had to be out for a few days). And, even more so, I never would admit a mistake.
Holding myself to that perpetual state of perfection was exhausting. So much energy and effort went to holding together the perceptions that I focused less on actually doing good work and helping others succeed at work.
Well, the truth is that everyone is human. We have feelings and fears. And we get tired. We fall. We get up. And we do it again.
Great leaders demonstrate that they are human. They share when they’re struggling and admit when they fail.
In doing so, they make others feel comfortable being real so that they can put their full focus on doing great work (vs. seeming like everything is great).
I think this is one of the most important habits of great leaders. There is such strength in vulnerability. This article has great information about the emerging importance of vulnerability in the workplace.
5. Fairness
Great leaders give credit where credit is due. They never claim a victory for themselves if they didn’t earn it. They also don’t point fingers at anyone unfairly. Furthermore, they take accountability for their part in a bad situation.
Great leaders know that fairness makes employees less worried about perceptions and allows them to focus on doing great work and delivering business results.
6. Challenge Status Quo
Great leaders don’t accept a sub-par situation, mediocre business results, or cumbersome business processes. They continually strive for better outcomes and experiences. They don’t tolerate mediocrity, and they don’t stop until the situation improves.
Great leaders aren’t afraid to speak up if something isn’t right even if “it’s the way it’s always been done.”
7. Flexibility of Communication Style
Leaders know when to be firm and directive. They know when to be outgoing and personable. They realize different people and different situations need them to dial-up and dial down different aspects of their communication. And, furthermore, they have the will and the skill to tweak their communication accordingly.
This is actually the habit of great leaders that is hardest for me. It’s really hard to adjust your own energy and feelings to be what others need you to be in a given moment. Leaders are most effective when they meet people where they are. But, in doing so, the leader is not necessarily doing what she needs for herself.
That brings me to the final habit…
8. Have Downtime
Leadership is exhausting. It takes a lot of energy and focus to ensure you communicate appropriately, give praise, ask helpful questions, etc. Great leaders make sure they recharge by taking breaks so that they can come back energized.
They realize that they can only support others if they take care of themselves. They find a balance between work and home and fight hard to keep it.
Wait, what about “influence”?!
Don’t leaders need to influence and inspire?! Yes, they are very influential; they need to get many people to believe in them and follow their direction. The basis of their success depends on influencing others.
That said, they influence people effectively because they exhibit the 8 habits above. If a leader isn’t honest, authentic, vulnerable, curious, fair, challenging of the status quo, flexible in communication, and balanced then — I argue — they won’t gain the trust and loyalty of people in order to follow their lead. So, I argue, the ability to influence is the result of their great habits (rather than being a habit itself).
Where should you begin?
Starting 8 new habits can seem daunting! I bet, though, that you already have mastered many of these habits already. After all, you’re Type A!
When I look at all of these traits, I am reminded of the simple advice that I often give my children: be yourself & treat others the way you want to be treated. At the end of the day, each of the traits above really boils down to that!
In summary, there is no “secret sauce” to being a great leader. When I think of the best leaders I’ve worked with, they were simply decent people; they made people feel good about themselves and their work. And, as a result, everyone wanted to work with them, no matter how hard, boring, or undesirable the work was. The 8 habits of great leaders above will help you be that decent person and a great leader!
So, what do you think of these 8 great habits of great leaders? What habits do you think are important for great leadership?
If you liked this post, be sure to check these out:
- 5 Female Leadership Traits That Make You Successful
- How to Improve the Top 4 Leadership Traits
- 3 Behaviors That Will Ensure You Get Promoted
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