There are hundreds of things that you could do to become a better leader, but if you did just these three things you would make great progress towards getting the best out of your people.
Prioritise your time. We simply can’t do everything that we want to or think we need to. Some of us become less productive and less efficient because we try to do too much. Simply slow down, work out what your highest value contribution to your organisation is and focus on those tasks. Delegate the rest. Say ‘no’ to low value tasks. Become bullish about focusing on the things that matter most.
Build trust. People won’t follow you if they can’t trust you. Be reliable. Do what you say you are going to do. Follow through on your promises or don’t make them. Tell the truth. People have good ‘BS detectors’! Sometimes the right thing to do is also the hard thing to do, so we might be tempted to cut a corner and do the wrong thing. Remember, there is no right way to do the wrong thing.
Make others better. Let go of your ego. Leadership is not about you but what you can do with and for others. Be selfless. Judge the success of your leadership by how much you have helped others succeed. Sir Isaac Newton said “If I have seen further it’s because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” Imagine your organisation if you focused on helping your people to become giants. Everyone wins.
While many of us feel overwhelmed with the responsibilities of leadership, even to the point of giving up on becoming better, focusing on just a few achievable areas of improvement will lead to better leadership and better outcomes. In the words of Simon Sinek, “Be the leader you wish you had.”
