Great leaders do this!
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 - Joe Kiedinger
From Warren Buffet to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., great leaders have a lot of habits in common.
Today, I’m revealing the final three habits of great leaders in our LEADERSHIP acronym. Here’s what we’ve covered so far. If you missed my last two WOWs, check them out:
L: Listening
E: Empathy
A: Adaptability
D: Duty
E: Encouragement
R: Respect
S: Servant Leadership
And here are the final three!
Humility:
Leaders who are humble are more likely to listen effectively, be open-minded and lead via authority rather than with power. Don’t you want your team to work hard for you because they like you rather than feeling they’ll be reprimanded if they don’t deliver?
Put away your iron fist and take a softer approach. None of us are perfect, even those at the very top of a company. Remembering this and treating others as equals will get you further than arrogance.
Inspire:
One of the most powerful ways of leading a team is through your words. Have a company meeting? Start with a round of “Good News” to set a positive tone and leave them with a motivating message at the end.
Personally, I like to take notes on something that each team member shared during our All Company Meetings. I give them credit for what they do, thank them, and rally the team around a piece of our mission, vision, or core values to keep reminding and empowering them along the way.
Playful:
I’ve saved the best for last. Well, I am Fun Country after all. It’s so important to have passion for what you do. Why not make the workplace a bit fun and share some humor and light-heartedness when you can?
It could be a team lunch, a candy bracket, a bring-your-dog-to-work day, a joke in the breakroom. It’s okay to not be so serious all the time. Not Fun Country yourself? Empower a member of your team to direct the fun in your office.
Here’s the full acronym. Isn’t she a beaut’? I hope it inspires you to be a better leader tomorrow than you were today.
L: Listening
E: Empathy
A: Adaptability
D: Duty
E: Encouragement
R: Respect
S: Servant Leadership
H: Humility
I: Inspire
P: Playful
JOE KIEDINGER
ACTION PLAN: We made you a handy printable so you can be reminded of what you’ve learned.Print away!