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The best leaders are busy
during their downtime, but not in the ways you might think.
The habits of the best leaders are well documented. They’re
self-aware. They admit mistakes. They take care of, recognize, and communicate
well with their teams.
The following article was written by Gwen Moran at Fast Company and can be seen in its entirety here.
"I’ve definitely noticed some things that
great leaders tend to do," says Danielle Harlan, founder and CEO of The Center for Advancing Leadership and Human
Potential, an organization that helps individuals and
organizations maximize their impact. And the things they do behind the scenes
make all the difference when it comes to their professional leadership ability,
she says. Here are five such common habits.
THEY KNOW WHAT THEY WANT
Every
night before he goes to sleep, David Novak, founder, former CEO and outgoing
chair of Yum! Brands, Inc.,
which is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and operates brands like KFC,
Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, visualizes his next day and the outcomes he wants.
Whether it’s a tough meeting or a one-on-one interaction, he mentally walks
through his day and pictures each interaction going his way.
THEY’RE CURIOUS
Once upon a time, leaders were the people who knew
everything, but today, the best leaders are those who know what they don’t know
and aren’t afraid to ask questions, Harlan says. "It also makes others
feel comfortable pointing out aspects of the work that aren’t connecting or
that could be improved," she says.
THEY TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES
Harlan notes that the most effective leaders she
works with have personal interests and commitments outside of work. They know
what works for them to recharge their batteries, whether it’s hiking and
spending time outdoors or reading a good book—and they take the time to do
those things to keep themselves sharp, including getting enough sleep, she
says.
In addition to exercising to stay in shape, the benefits of which
are well known, Novak takes time in the morning to write down three things for
which he is grateful. This helps him manage his "mood elevator," he
says. Novak says we make our worst decisions when we're angry and resentful,
but make our best decisions when we're grateful. When he feels his mood elevator
going to the wrong places, he knows it’s time to take better care of himself or
address what’s bothering him.
THEY’RE GENEROUS
Whether it’s with praise and recognition or
contributing to the community, great leaders recognize the power of giving.
Novak has traditionally spent roughly half of his professional time cultivating
and developing his team members. For 15 years, he taught a leadership program
at Yum!, teaching his employees everything from how to get their mind-sets
right to how to develop an action plan for what they want. More than 4,000
people went through the three-day program.
As CEO, he didn’t need
to spend this time on such training, but it was important to him, he says. He
believes so much in the power of recognition that he’s launched a new
organization, OGO Enterprises,
and written a self-published book to help improve the "recognition
deficit" he sees in the country.
Harlan says that great leaders also recognize the importance of
paying it forward. They act as mentors and champions in their personal lives as
well as their professional lives. She sees many time-strapped leaders who still
find opportunities to volunteer, fundraise, and mentor because of the
fulfillment it gives them, she says.
THEY BUILD THEIR COMMUNITIES
It can be lonely at the top. Great leaders build
their circle of support. "These are people they can talk with and connect
with around different issues—who they can go to when they have a problem,"
she says. In addition to friends and family, they also have peers who are in
similar roles at different organizations that understand them, and who can
offer insight and support.
