“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”
—Vince Lombardi
Becoming a top-tier leader doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, practice, failure, feedback, reflection—you don’t just muster through to greatness. Through trial and error, you’ll discover your daily routines that contribute to your leadership success. Through both our own and our clients’ experiences, we’ve identified eight core leadership trends the top performers do each day.
8 Things Leaders Do Every Day
1. Set Clear Goals
Starting off our list of the 8 things leaders do every day is setting goals for themselves and their team members. A clear sense of direction allows people to focus on a common target to the benefit of the company. Great leaders not only know their vision; that vision is clearly defined. They develop goals as the course of action to meet their objectives, providing employees not only with a sense of direction but with a map on how to get there.
2. Communicate Clearly & Effectively
Respected leaders communicate often and consistently, reinforcing their vision and goals along the way. Being upfront, thorough yet succinct, and timely in communications sets the tone for your team and clients. Modeling such behavior will also implore your team to follow suit.
3. Listen Actively
Working hand in hand with communication is active listening. Listening for understanding, asking for opinions and ideas, and staying in touch with employees and clients helps keep you informed of the reality of your business. Too often, leaders are described as out of touch, but active listening helps to prevent this label. Employees and clients are your best source of information; remember to stop and listen.
4. Elevate Employees
Good leaders keep their employee’s development and advancement in mind, and this is why it makes the list of the 8 things leaders do every day. All too often, great people leave great companies feeling stagnant in their careers. You can help break the trend by encouraging employees to seek out continuing education or skills-enhancing courses. Provide guidance on what it takes to hit the next level, and reward those who hit the mark. When a person sees that you care about them (personally not just professionally), they’ll often be more dedicated to your cause.
5. Set Boundaries
Strong boundaries offer a slew of benefits to powerful leadership: focus, organization, flexibility, and decision-making. Even more importantly, they help prevent burnout by keeping work-life balance in check. Visit our blog to read more about setting boundaries.
6. Delegate
No one person can be an expert at everything, and leaders know what they can and can’t do. While doing it all can be a source of pride, it can also be a one-stop shop to failure. Surround yourself with a strong circle of trusted people who challenge the status quo rather than blindly following. Augment your skills with skills of others and delegate to them. Focus time and energy on what you truly need to do, and delegate the rest for a more efficient and effective outcome that can also leave your employees feeling valued and trusted. Then circle back to #2 on the list of 8 things leaders do every day to ensure the right people, including yourself, stay informed!
7. Stay Accountable to Mistakes
Being able to admit when you’re wrong is not easy, but a good leader knows when to speak up about a problem and welcome suggestions to fix it. Being humble in the face of mistakes shows employees that mistakes happen – it’s how you handle and control the fall-out that matters.
Leaders are also willing to take the fall if they feel their oversight, or lack thereof, led to a mishap. Leaders will not look for scapegoats or throw their employees under the bus; they know they are responsible for the actions of their employees and they show it.
8. Seek Knowledge
Top leaders are constantly learning, seeking more knowledge, and gathering lessons-learned from other respectable leaders. Learning from others, be it through books, conferences, conversations or other opportunities, provides insight into the many aspects of leadership, including things to avoid, improve on, or implement. LinkedIn Learning is great place to find courses on leadership. Knowledge is power…and good leaders embrace learning.
What Things Do You Do Every Day?
We’d love to know if you do any of the 8 things leaders do every day to drive your success. Or, maybe you have something different than what’s on this list? Even if you don’t call yourself a leader, we’re sure you have daily habits that drive success. What are some of yours? We’d love to hear them.
We’d Love to Work with You
Struggling in your new remote work environment? Not sure how to stay on task? We’d love to help you overcome remote work challenges you’re facing! Contact us and we’ll set up a free consultation call to discuss how we can help.
