A great leader can be defined by many things, however, a quality you’ll find in all of our best leaders, is the drive to be better than the day before. The motivation to constantly improve themselves and the people around them is something that makes them so successful, so we’ve put our brains together at Pathways Australia to come up with 10 different habits you can implement into your life that will help you become a better leader for your team.
We don’t suggest trying all of these ideas at once, but rather start with one or two and slowly build your new routine as each new habit becomes a normality for you. We found this an excellent exercise for our team to research and explore what made our personal heroes great leaders – it was very inspiring! We strongly suggest doing a similar workshop with your team to encourage high-performance habits.
1. Set Your Intentions for the Day.
By doing this, you’ll be less likely to be distracted by daily interferences like emails, meetings, colleagues, and more focused on what you want to accomplish that day.
2. Practice Gratitude.
Although it’s simple, it’s impactful. Acknowledging your blessings each and every day helps nurture a positive mindset, so you’re able to face any challenge with a smile.
3. Frequently Talk to Your Team.
Staying connected and engaged with those you lead, builds trust and can lead to eye-opening insights and ideas that you wouldn’t have had otherwise if that relationship wasn’t there.
4. Be Early.
Whether it’s early to work, a conference or to team events. Being early gives you the time to ground yourself in your environment and get your headspace ready for the task ahead.
5. Find Time for Movement.
It doesn’t have to be a whole HIIT workout or a big run. But regularly moving your body has so many benefits for your mental health and physical health.
6. Hard Tasks First.
Great leaders aren’t procrastinators, and they do this by always doing the hard work first. If you skip or avoid the hard tasks, there is little reward at the end.
7. Be Open to Learning every day.
Great leaders constantly have their minds open to new ideas, ways of thinking and knowledge. Learning something new every day will not only develop your skills, but also build your toolkit to help other people.
8. Send written follow-ups
To avoid simple miscommunication and confusion by simply getting in the habit of always sending follow-ups from meetings, phone calls and any discussions about projects. You’re saving time and improving your communication skills.
9. Meditate.
Looking after your mental health is so important (we don’t need to tell you that), so we highly encourage you to take a small amount of time out of your day or week to be mindful, and present with your breath.
10. Create a morning routine.
It can be as simple as having your coffee without looking at your phone before work or reading 10 pages of a book. It can be a routine of 10 things or just 1- it doesn’t matter, as long as you stick to it.
Feeling inspired? We are too!
These habits don’t have to be big to have a great impact, but if you keep at them regularly you’ll become a great leader. Join our next session of From Good Manager to Great Leader to further develop your skills and take the next step in management.
At Pathways Australia we’re passionate about your success in the everyday, as well as in the professional world. Talk to our team today about how this course can help you become a better leader.
