23 Ideas to Distinguish Your Leadership Behaviors

I was raised to believe I could become whatever I bothered to learn. No single idea has served me better. A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others. We like to open most of our blogs with an enlightening quotation that relates to the topic. To distinguish your leadership behaviors is one area of particular interest to us.

distinquish your leadership behaviors
Distinquishing leadership behavior.

Ever wondered how the best leaders handle distinguishing their leadership behaviors so effortlessly? The truth is, most highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.

Zen teaches that the potential to achieve enlightenment is inherent in everyone but lies dormant because of ignorance. It is best awakened not by the study of scripture or the practice of good deeds, but by breaking the boundaries of mundane logical thought. The ability to distinguish your leadership behaviors certainly break through these boundaries.

I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership behaviors. It takes time and practice to be a top-line leader. You are not borne with leadership behaviors. And you are never done developing them.

My experience leads me to this list of xx business leadership behaviors that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.

If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously distinguishing this list of leadership behaviors:

 

Commitment

People believe in those leaders that stand strong through adversity.

 
inspire and motivate
Do you inspire and motivate?

Inspire and motivate

No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So, getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader. Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them.

Great leaders inspire motivation and learning.  They create environments where learners feel empowered, impassioned, and engaged.

 

Distinguishing Leadership Behavior … innovation

Learning from others is always important to me. For example, I have learned innovation from Amazon. They have one of the very best innovation cultures in an industry built on constant innovation and change.

 

Experiment and change

Remember, change and innovate, BEFORE you have to. Change is a big part of the reality in business. New ideas are the lifeblood of business. And the basis for creative change.

Your life will be in constant change mode, and that is a good thing if you lead change in the direction of your success goals. To do that most successfully, you should try lots of new things continually. For things you like, get very good at them with lots of practice. But keep trying new activities.

I love this quote from Jeff Bezos:

If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your inventiveness.

If you ask the best business leaders, they’ll tell you that experimentation is imperative for their business. It’s how innovations are born and how they stay competitive in the market. Experimentation is everywhere and is always happening.

 

Your career is not your life

This was probably the most difficult of my lessons, particularly early to mid-career. To be successful in this lesson, you should develop a breath to your list of activities and always put family and friends first.

To do both well, think about activities that maximize your friends and family, like coaching your children’s sports teams.

 

Dedicate yourself to continuous learning

I am a big believer in continuous learning. You should always seek to be flexible and keep several alternative paths in front of you. Always be on the lookout for ways to reinvent ways for self-improvement. My most favored quote on continuous learning comes from Charles Darwin:

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

 

Grow kindness

All of these life lessons get better when you have a strong foundation in knowing how to be kind to others. I have never found a better way to stay happy. Kindness costs you nothing, and you’d be surprised how much it can do for your leadership.

 

Always look to find something to make you laugh

Another important factor in your happiness is enjoying a good laugh as often as you can. Making fun of yourself and your mistakes is a great place to start.

 

Clarity

People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.

 

Connection

People like to be around people with whom they have relationships.

 

Boost team self-esteem

We have written on employee attitude and engagement on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.

Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. It is something all people crave. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure-fire way to decrease morale and performance.

 

Consistency

People love to see things done consistently. They like to know what to expect.

 

Distinquishing leadership behavior … character

People take notice of those who do what is right over what is easy.

 

Vision

 People need leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision of the future.

 

Continuous learning

People always put more confidence in those who continually expand their skills and talents. Especially those who share their know-how in these new talents.

 

Results oriented

People always respond to great results.

 

Patience

Many leaders are intolerant of others who might do things differently, or at a pace the leader finds unacceptable. Action-oriented leaders may tend to jump to conclusions before things are thought through.

The lack of patience can manifest itself as anger or decisions that aren’t fully thought through. The most effective leadership behaviors reflect patience.

 

Live your strengths

Good leaders coach what makes you effective so you can tap into those skills at any time.

 

Guide talent

Coach your teams and develop their future paths. People respond favorably to leaders offering help.

 

Compassion

People put faith in those who care the most beyond themselves.

 

Distinquishing leadership behavior … guide teamwork

People love working as part of great teams. They appreciate leaders who coach teamwork and develop their future paths.

 

Sizzle

People appreciate a more magnetic and memorable communicator.

 

Inspire change

Many people don’t do well with change. They do favorably respond to leaders who explain the need for the change.

 

Remove barriers

People are frustrated with obstacles and barriers. They appreciate leaders who continually focus on removing them.

 
 

The bottom line

Pay attention to the bottom line. The best leaders help their people succeed.

 

So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion.  There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of great leadership. And put it to good use in adapting to changes in your business environment.

 

It’s up to you to keep improving your ability to lead. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, history may be providing ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.

 

It’s up to you to keep improving your leadership learning and experience from all around in your environment.

 

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.

 

When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.

 

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

 

Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?

 

Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?

 

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

  

More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound

Secrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mindful Leader

Leadership Characteristics That Improve Influence

Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on FacebookTwitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.

 
 
 
 

23 Ideas to Distinguish Your Leadership Behaviors

I was raised to believe I could become whatever I bothered to learn. No single idea has served me better. A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others. We like to open most of our blogs with an enlightening quotation that relates to the topic. To distinguish your leadership behaviors is one area of particular interest to us.

distinquish your leadership behaviors
Distinquish your leadership behaviors.

Ever wondered how the best leaders handle distinguishing their leadership behaviors so effortlessly? The truth is, most highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.

Many brilliant ideas come to people off line, in dreams, or in surprise moments when they’re not trying to figure things out. What happen is this: the conscious, problem-solving part of our mind hits a wall and gets stuck. That’s when the problem gets turned over to our subconscious mind.

That’s how Elias Howe’s invention of the lock stitch sewing machine happened. That’s how Rene Descartes came up with the Scientific Method. And that’s what Seymour Cray, the inventor of the Cray Supercomputer, attributed his success to — the ability to walk away from a problem and let his subconscious mind do the work. 

Where and when do you get your best ideas away from work?

Zen teaches that the potential to achieve enlightenment is inherent in everyone but lies dormant because of ignorance. It is best awakened not by the study of scripture or the practice of good deeds, but by breaking the boundaries of mundane logical thought. The ability to distinguish your leadership behaviors certainly break through these boundaries.

I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership behaviors. It takes time and practice to be a top-line leader. You are not borne with leadership behaviors. And you are never done developing them.

Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.

Here is an example of new ideas. In 1865, Gregor Mendel published the paper that established him as the father of genetics. However, it went largely unnoticed until it was rediscovered decades later and became widely recognized as one of the great discoveries in the history of science.

My experience leads me to this list of business leadership behaviors that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.

If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously distinguishing this list of leadership behaviors:

Commitment

People believe in those leaders that stand strong through adversity.

inspire and motivate
Do you inspire and motivate?

Inspire and motivate

No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So, getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader. Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them.

Great leaders inspire motivation and learning.  They create environments where learners feel empowered, impassioned, and engaged.

Distinguish Your Leadership Behaviors … innovation

Learning from others is always important to me. For example, I have learned innovation from Amazon. They have one of the very best innovation cultures in an industry built on constant innovation and change.

Experiment and change

Remember, change and innovate, BEFORE you have to. Change is a big part of the reality in business. New ideas are the lifeblood of business. And the basis for creative change.

Your life will be in constant change mode, and that is a good thing if you lead change in the direction of your success goals. To do that most successfully, you should try lots of new things continually. For things you like, get very good at them by lots of practice. But keep trying new activities.

I love this quote from Jeff Bezos:

If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your inventiveness.

If you ask the best business leaders, they’ll tell you that experimentation is imperative for their business. It’s how innovations are born and how they stay competitive in the market. Experimentation is everywhere and is always happening.

Your career is not your life

This was probably the most difficult of my lessons, particularly early to mid-career. To be successful in this lesson, you should develop a breath to your list of activities and always put family and friends first.

To do both well, think about activities that maximize your friends and family, like coaching your children’s sports teams.

Dedicate yourself to continuous learning

I am a big believer in continuous learning. You should always seek to be flexible and keep several alternative paths in front of you. Always be on the lookout for ways to reinvent ways for self-improvement. My most favored quote on continuous learning comes from Charles Darwin:

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

Grow kindness

All of these life lessons get better when you have a strong foundation in knowing how to be kind to others. I have never found a better way to stay happy. Kindness costs you nothing, and you’d be surprised how much it can do for your leadership.

Always look to find something to make you laugh

Another important factor in your happiness is enjoying a good laugh as often as you can. Making fun of yourself and your mistakes is a great place to start.

Clarity

People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.

Connection

People like to be around people with whom they have relationships.

Boost team self-esteem

We have written on employee attitude and engagement on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.

Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. It is something all people crave. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure-fire way to decrease morale and performance.

Consistency

People love to see things done consistently. They like to know what to expect.

Distinquishing leadership behavior … character

People take notice of those who do what is right over what is easy.

Vision

 People need leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision of the future.

Continuous learning

People always put more confidence in those who continually expand their skills and talents. Especially those who share their know-how in these new talents.

Results oriented

People always respond to great results.

Patience

Many leaders are intolerant of others who might do things differently, or at a pace the leader finds unacceptable. Action-oriented leaders may tend to jump to conclusions before things are thought through.

The lack of patience can manifest itself as anger or decisions that aren’t fully thought through. The most effective leadership behaviors reflect patience.

Live your strengths

Good leaders coach what makes you effective so you can tap into those skills at any time.

Guide talent

Coach your teams and develop their future paths. People respond favorably to leaders offering help.

Compassion

People put faith in those who care the most beyond themselves.

Distinguish your leadership behaviors … guide teamwork

People love working as part of great teams. They appreciate leaders who coach teamwork and develop their future paths.

Sizzle

People appreciate a more magnetic and memorable communicator.

Inspire change

Many people don’t do well with change. They do favorably respond to leaders who explain the need for the change.

Remove barriers

People are frustrated with obstacles and barriers. They appreciate leaders who continually focus on removing them.

The bottom line

Pay attention to the bottom line. The best leaders help their people succeed.

Make your thinking vivid by including what comes naturally to you. For example, you may not be able to imagine sequences of images very well, but you may excel in imagining other modalities such as smell, touch, and sound.

You may be excellent in infusing your visualization with emotional charge and great feelings. DO not feel compelled to stay within any single modality but make your visualizations and imagination vivid and rich by including numerous modalities.

Your senses are wonderful tools for you to engage while unleashing the power of the imaginative mind. Make it colorful and exciting.

Make your imagination your ally and your best friend.

So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion.  There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of great leadership. And put it to good use in adapting to changes in your business environment.

It’s up to you to keep improving your ability to lead. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, history may be providing ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.

It’s up to you to keep improving your leadership learning and experience from all around in your environment.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.

When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?

Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

7 Ways to Create a Customer Service Evangelist Business

Build an Effective Team by Being a Talent Hound

Secrets to Becoming a Remarkably Mindful Leader

Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on  FacebookTwitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.