If You Do These 12 Things At Least Once A Week, You're A High-Quality Leader
Every challenge is an opportunity to remain calm, grow, and demonstrate sound leadership.
Miley Guinn | Unsplash Our society is usually quick to identify a bad leader, but how can you identify a high-quality leader? What would most people say are the qualities of a good leader? Good leaders are molded through experience, continued study, intentional effort, and adaptation.
Life has shown me that the ability to lead others is a skill to be learned — and an essential one at that. Whether you’re a boss, a parent, a romantic partner, or a brand-building writer, you want to know how to lead and inspire well.
If you do these 12 things at least once a week, you're a high-quality leader:
1. Talk less, and listen more
The more you talk, the less value is attached to your words. Scarce words are valuable words. Listen to what people say. They are more willing to follow your lead when they sense you understand them.
2. Visualize yourself as a present and compassionate leader
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How you see yourself affects your behavior. Visualize yourself as the king of the jungle who cares. Walk like a leader. Move like one. See yourself as one, and others will fall into your frame.
3. Take your time
Rushers lose respect. We rush because we’re not settled in ourselves; people sense this. Slow down your movements and your talking. Allow space to appear and use silence as an ally in effective communication.
Research suggests that time demands affect a leader's ability to lead by impacting their decision-making processes. While quick decisions may be necessary at times, the evidence underscores that investing time in crucial aspects like self-reflection, relationship building, and creating a supportive environment are hallmarks of high-quality leadership that lead to positive long-term outcomes.
4. Tell the tough truths
People are exhausted by the garbage out there. Be the refreshing glass of water in the desert, willing to speak honestly, even if it hurts some feelings.
Nothing progresses without truth. Most of society’s problems are rooted in political correctness and associated lies. Be different. People follow the honest.
5. Be calmly unpredictable
Never become too predictable. Others begin to know you too well, which opens you up to manipulation.
Embrace spontaneity and be unexpected. This creates intrigue and will captivate those around you, making them more likely to want to follow your lead.
6. Do not hide your flaws
The always-perfect leader is a puppet. Full of fluff and unable to truly inspire. People respect those who own their imperfections while not feeling the need to continually over-share. That’s the balance.
Research suggests that leaders who display vulnerability are more likely to build trust and increase employee engagement. Teams with vulnerable leaders report higher levels of trust and engagement.
7. Use humor to disarm and engage
Great leaders remind us all that life doesn’t have to be this never-ending, debilitating slog. If they did, they’d be terribleyleaders.
Well-timed humor, and making light of themselves sometimes as well as serious things, isn’t only for stand-up comedians. The best leaders use humor in their way to encourage and lighten the load.
8. Make decisions quickly, then stick with them
A couple of past girlfriends made me realize how much of a turn-off continually changing my mind could be. It’s hard to want to follow someone who shows (too much) indecisiveness. Reflect as needed, but then commit, and show you keep them.
9. Don’t be afraid to be the lone wolf
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Sometimes, the most effective leaders are willing to stand alone when necessary. By making independent decisions and not conforming to groupthink, you show strength and individuality that others respect.
Research in leadership theory suggests that effective leaders need to be able to balance independent thinking with collaboration and team building. Independent thinkers don't blindly follow the crowd; they question, analyze, and form their conclusions.
10. Appeal to people’s emotions
It may seem as though people follow leaders who show them the logical, practical steps, but often this isn’t enough. People act based on how someone made them feel.
They either don’t, or they respond to their emotional charge to want to act. You do this by painting a picture of where they are now versus where they could be, for example.
11. Take responsibility, even for things you didn’t do
Great leaders never assign blame. You’ll be seen as accountable if you take responsibility for your failures and problems and those of your team or family.
This is trustworthy and powerful for those who depend on you. If you never take accountability for what you do, don’t expect people to want to follow your lead.
12. Be an example of emotional control
Most people struggle with maintaining emotional balance. They get triggered or react emotionally to things they don’t like. This telegraphs emotional instability, which is not conducive to attractive leadership.
You must learn to stay calm in the face of challenges and the universe testing you, as it will continue to do. Every challenge is an opportunity to remain calm, grow, and demonstrate sound leadership.
Leaders' emotions are contagious and significantly impact their team's morale, productivity, and overall organizational health. An article by Southern New Hampshire University explained that a leader's emotional state, whether positive or negative, can spread throughout the team, influencing the emotional climate.
Alex Mathers is a writer and coach who helps you build a money-making personal brand with your knowledge and skills while staying mentally resilient. He's the author of the Mastery Den newsletter, which helps people triple their productivity.
