Top 5 Instinctive Habits

Leaders have some of these instinctive habits to help them grow and keep them being successful every day.

1. Communicate Effectively

This is the #1 instinctive habit seen in remarkable leaders. Clear and concise communication results in everyone understanding.  Invite the opportunity to ask questions for further clarification as needed.  Each person on the team knows their role, tasks and their expectations.

Active listening plays a role here to communicate effectively.  Leaders listen, they ask questions and share what they heard to ensure everyone understands.  Understanding each others' expectations and meeting these expectations makes a difference.

2. Make The Decision

Decisions are made.  Period.  Process the information at hand.  Weigh the results, both positive and negative and then make the decision.  The important point to note here is to make the decision. Sometimes the decision is to defer or to not make the decision.  This is okay!

Procrastinating or waiting until you have all the information to make the decision in most cases will not help.   Time may be of the essence and gathering all the information may never happen.   It is worth repeating:  make the decision and move on.

3. Praise And saying Thank You

Say thank you on a regular basis to those around you who have helped and who are contributing to the overall goals, morale and success.  It is important to tell people you appreciate them.  Be humble and be grateful.

We hear others saying they do not want praise or seek it.  Do it regardless and preferably one-on-one if they do not want public acknowledgement.  Try it and see what great results you get!

4. Always Challenging

Set the bar high and keep raising the bar.  Do not accept the status quo.  Keep challenging by asking more questions such as "Can it be done better?" and "What else can we do to improve?" Question the processes and things that are being performed.  Find out what is missing.  What you can recommend for improvement to achieve that ultimate goal of striving for excellence.

5. Seeking Help

Everyone should seek help from time to time to keep growing.  Remarkable leaders look to further educate themselves by reading, attending seminars, asking experts, viewing podcasts and so forth.  Look for a mentor who you can openly discuss your successes and challenges.   I have found mentors along my journey and have enjoyed mentoring many along theirs.

Do you have any instinctive habits to add?

(Originally published on 11.20.19)