The six little things that differentiate most great leaders from the rest of us? These aren’t so obvious however the following six habits are subtle, powerful and you’ll want to implement them into your life and environment as quickly as possible. Once you understand how affective they are, you will be able to recognise great leaders to associate with and have as mentors.
1. They Use the Word “We”
- Replacing “I”and “me” with “we”and “us”in your workplace vocabulary has a huge impact on how likely (and willing) people are to follow you. Consider the difference in these two statements:
- “I’ll definitely have time to resolve the issue by the next meeting with the client.”
- “We’ll definitely have time to resolve the issue by the next meeting with the client.”
- The first implies you’re a one-person show; the second assumes that you and your coworkers will work together to fix the problem—motivating them to jump in and work with you.
- Since great leaders share both the workload and the glory, make sure that when you give credit, you also use “we”and “us.” For example: “Our team figured out why the vendor was having issues, and fortunately, fixed everything in time for the order to ship on Monday.”
2. They Remember Small Details
- Great leaders are typically very charismatic. After all, it’s far more natural to follow someone you like and look up to than someone you don’t.
- One of the simplest ways to become more charming, without being disingenuous: is to remember and recognize the little things about your colleagues, including birthdays, work anniversaries, accomplishments, vacation plans, hobbies, and so on.
- Demonstrating a consistent interest in their lives will definitely boost your office likability.
- For a practical way to implement this strategy, set aside 10 minutes every morning for browsing LinkedIn, Facebook, and the other social media sites your coworkers use. Note what they’ve got coming up. Then, when you see them at work, you’ll have no problem saying, “Hey! (Name) are you looking forward to your diving trip to Nosy Be?”
3. They Are Present
- Another thing great leaders do differently? When they’re with someone, they’re with them. You usually won’t find a natural leader acting distracted or bored while they’re with their team members—on the contrary, they seem interested and focused no matter whom they’re with.
- When people receive your full attention, not only do they feel flattered (unfortunately, that’s how rare paying attention has become) but they also give you more. That means more information, more help, more support—many of the things you need to take your performance to the next level.
- Focusing on whom you’re talking to (and nothing else) can be difficult if there are many challenges to resolve.
4. They Are Calm in a Crisis
- During emergencies, have you ever noticed who takes control of the situation? Hint: it’s not the person yelling or getting emotional. It’s the person who stays calm, and starts getting team members tom take notice and find solutions to the issue, assign capable members to resolve the issue.
- Even if you’re freaking out on the inside, projecting an unruffled exterior will make others perceive you as competent and trustworthy.
- That means your coworkers will automatically look to you for a solution—giving you the perfect opportunity to step into a leadership role without having to maneuver for power.
- So the next time something stressful happens at work, resist the urge to react. (If you’re worried that you’ll lose your cool, step into an empty conference room or the bathroom for a couple seconds to clear your head.)
5. They Pay Attention to the Least Important People (LIP)
- There are a couple reasons why true leaders go out of their way to acknowledge the “least important”people in the room (whether that’s the junior assistant, two-week-old employee, or intern).
- First, you never know who will become influential in the future. Treating people well when they’re just starting out guarantees you’ll be repaid later down the line.
- Second, you’ll cultivate great relationships with the employees who work hard and have plenty of talent but often don’t see their efforts recognized.
- Third, your awareness of what’s going on in the office—at all levels—will increase.
- Every time you’re in a room of people, figure out who the LIP is and treat him or her as you would a respected peer: ask them for feedback, make eye contact with them as you present, and treat their contributions seriously and always give recognition for their input.
6. They Adapt to the Situation
- Most of us just have one communication style—but great leaders have many, and they’re capable to quickly find the ideal one for the person or situation.
- For example, if they notice one coworker always takes forever to respond to emails, they’ll stop sending him emails and start dropping by his desk instead. Or if another coworker never voices their concerns until after meetings, when it’s too late, they’ll start requesting feedback beforehand.
- To become a better leader, start actively looking for methods of communication to which each colleague best responds to: (responding with the most information, in the shortest period of time, with the least push back).
- By adapting, you’ll become one of the rare professionals who can have effective relationships with everyone, not just a couple people and your value will exponentially rise.
- Most great leaders are born, but many are also self made.
With the above six “little things” that are very easy to learn and implement, can add powerful changes to your life, authority and respect are within your grasp as one of the Great Leaders that will have a huge impact in your business and community.