Whenever one thinks of leaders in any field, there are certain traits and habits that instantly pop up in our minds and it is these very habits and traits that makes them stand out of the crowd. They practice what are known as leadership behaviours and manage to leave an impact on all the people that they cross. An apt example would be the Apple CEO Steve Jobs who was himself an innovator and made sure that everyone around him pushed the boundaries of creativity and curated something truly unique. These behaviours are not necessarily built in a day or leaders are not born with it, these are developed and refined over time to define and become a truly magnanimous leader. There are however, some leadership behaviours that are seen throughout the world and are said to accompany success. For all the budding leaders and entrepreneurs out there, we’ve hand-picked a list of those behaviours:
- Ethical Behaviour All the Way
A true hallmark of the leader who rings in success is that he/she will always be ground in ethics. They will be deeply committed to the cause but at no cost will they compromise on the ethics, even if it is the path less traversed. Professional standards and high principles are always met with them. These leaders are known to set benchmarks. Taking the shorter path or the non-ethical one will never bring success in the long run and the leaders who follow ethicality advertise that in the truest sense.
- Establishing the Norms of Team Work
The very difference between a successful and non-successful leader is how they perceive their team. A leader who believes in valuing the inputs of the employees and ensuring their growth alongside is one who receives the respect of the people. If all the assets of the organisation are to be utilized properly and success is to be achieved, team work is the key. It takes a true leader to build a strong team and more so to make sure it remains functional.
- Rewarding and Appreciating Achievements
Every individual who is working hard, would like his/her work to be acknowledged and appreciated. A good leader will take that into consideration and reward even the smallest achievements in the day to day lives of the employees. This increases the motivation of not only the person getting rewarded but others who then strive and work harder to earn the same appreciation and awards.
- Encourage Out-Of-The-Box-Thinking
An organisation which has an innovative touch to it is inherently more successful than the others. The leaders in the organisations have the power to make all the difference in the world by allowing their employees to think innovatively and beyond the traditional, redundant approaches. Moreover, the most successful of leaders not only allow creative thinking but rather boost it and provide adequate training for the same by increasing the amount of questioning, observing and so on. The leaders manifest their internal creativity and experiment time and again motivating the people around them to do the same and invite success.
- Asking for Feedback
Good and strong leaders do not shy away from their strengths as well as weaknesses and in order to asses them better and then work upon them, they develop the healthy habit of asking for feedback time and again. They accept that nobody is perfect and that acts as an impetus for the other employees to also continuously improve while accepting their flaws and working on them. Constructive feedback is one of the most important tools for success.
- Staying Firm on Commitments
Extraordinary leaders understand that keeping their word is of paramount significance and if they themselves can’t keep their word, the trust with the organisation would also diminish. Leaders with exemplary skills do not make commitments every now and then, but when they do, they fulfil them. Once in a while, it may not be possible to fulfil them and that is acceptable, people would understand as long as it is not a consistent behaviour. Staying on your ground and accomplishing commitments is a pre-requisite to success.
You might eventually develop all these habits one by one but if there is no consistency in them, then it will prove to bear no fruit. Consistency is the key to success and the leaders who not only build these habits but make them an integral part of their lives get successful and ahead of others in their lives. Healthy leadership habits are must and all leaders must establish them and keep them at par with their ambitions.