5 Unexpected Strategies that Make Leaders Disproportionately Better
#1. Liking.
Think about things you like about the people on your team, even someone you’re managing out.
- Silently repeat, “I respect you,” when talking with others.
- Ask people what they think.
- Pat people on the back.
Don’t let people issues sour you on people.
#2. Routines. Establish a few.
Predictability produces stability.
Which routine would make a difference in your leadership?
- Start the day slowly.15 minutes of morning quiet. Don’t look at your computer or email.
- Close your computer and put it out of sight at 7 p.m. everyday.
- Schedule 15 to 30 minute walk-abouts every day at 2 p.m. (Afternoon is a great time to walk-about.)
- Gratitude walks.
- What’s working walks.
- How can I help walks.
- Noticing walks. Just notice stuff.
- Curiosity walks.
- Learn about people walks.
- Celebrate progress walks.
#3. Clarifying wants.
It’s amazing that hard-working people often don’t know what they really want. And when you ask them what they want, the answer is often well below their dignity.
What do you you really want today?
- Know what you want for others, yourself, and your team.
- Align your wants for others with their wants for themselves.
Collisions between personal wants and team needs indicates a bad fit.
#4. Posture.
Hold your head up.
If you look down when you think, learn to look up or think less.
#5. Smiling.
If you’re happy, tell your face.
Isn’t it sad that the higher you go, the more your face droops? If you’re not happy, go make a difference for someone and smile about it.
Bonus: People. Focus on them.
Leaders who sacrifice people in the process of getting results spend too much time on manipulative management techniques.
The business of management and leadership IS people.
- Respect.
- Believe in.
- Encourage.
- Confront.
- Challenge.
- Coach.
- Mentor.
- Honor.
- Recognize.
- Promote.
Which one of these small things would make a big difference for you?
What would you add to the list of small things that make a big difference?
I like your suggestion of going on “curiosity walks.”
Sending a person an unexpected e-mail saying you value his/herr ideas, contribution, friendship, help etc means a lot.
Thanks Paul. Perhaps a routine could be sending three affirming emails at 10 a.m.
•Incorporate laughter into the day.
•Let your team hear you say “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.”
Brilliant Lori. Here’s a walk-about: Walk around looking for an opportunity to say, “I never thought of that.”
“If your happy tell your face.”…. I would answer email and take frustrating phone calls in my office, and then to go do my favorite part of the day, walk down the hallway and talk to staff. One day a member of the team said “why are you always so angry at the staff when you are walking down the hallway? I was shocked he asked me that because this was the best part of the day. My face was still reflecting the emails and phone calls. I forgot to tell my face to smile. From then on I put a mirror right by my door so I could see my face every day when I walked out of my office, I wanted to see if I remembered to put my smile on.
Thanks Pat. The idea of a mirror is brilliant. I’ve gone to the mirror a few times to see if I was smiling. But, I wasn’t. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your story.
A little extra time to have lunch with their spouse . . . and lunch is on you!
Thanks Randy. Great suggestion. Food is a factor in relationship building.
Dan, I love this post. Truly unexpected and even better… extremely useful! I’ll be taking this to heart for myself and then sharing with our team leaders.
Thanks Edgar. Best wishes on the journey.
The daily interaction that comes from a scheduled “walk” can build relationships and culture. I’m starting a new ministry leadership position in an organization where the chief executive wants to build a stronger culture of caring for others. I’ve had small cards printed up that say, “You make a difference” and plan to anonymously distribute them with a short note each day to two or three people. I hope this practice will keep me looking for caring actions and attitudes and encourage others to notice them, too.
This sounds like an awesome idea!
Wow, classic example of why I love Leadership Freak. Simple/profound, actionable advice.
Hey Glen. Thanks. It’s the simple – actionable things that seem most helpful.
and boom goes my head. Thank you and I will be checking the mirror to see if my face is backing up what I am telling others.
Know what you want for others, yourself, and your team.
Align your wants for others with their wants for themselves.
Collisions between personal wants and team needs indicates a bad fit.
Thanks Walt. It was truly a surprise when I looked in the mirror and realized I wasn’t smiling when I thought I was. ha
…knowing what you want for others, you team and yourself… I’ll adjust with this… It all sums with #goals. Aligning your goals with that of your team to get a positive and creative result. For real, you have achieve your Short-term goal and aiming to the other angle from the other point of view thereby guilding, mentoring, encouraging, challenging,… the team to get their goal. #Humility #MakeADifference
The #Bonus part is indeed a huge part of challenging the team to get different equations with same answers and one end point thereby creating an awareness of being positive creative with humility comes with a reward and remark. THANKS!
Thanks Godwin. Great point that mentoring, encouraging, and challenging all require shor-term goals.
Aligning with goals includes an open process of goal-setting, understanding of the strengths on the team, connecting values and behaviors, setting deadlines, and committing to help others…. probably more. 🙂