Leadership isn’t born overnight. It’s something many people aspire to achieve, but once you get there, there can be many surprising twists and turns.
Being responsible for a team and leading everyone to success is a huge responsibility. It’s why leaders should always be aware of and mindful of ways to improve. As you continue to grow, so will your team.
Read on to learn six mindful habits of an excellent leader that you can adopt into your own leadership lifestyle. They’ll help you grow into a stronger and more effective leader, while building trust and a better relationship with the people you work with.
1. Develop mindful listening skills
As great as it can be to hold a leadership position, it’s also stressful. It’s easy to hear news from your team members and react out of emotion to however the news affects your plans.
People need to trust in their leader, which means you need to listen before you react. Keeping a calm frame of mind while dealing with bad news will make people look up to you and trust that no matter what they have to report back with, it’ll be okay.
2. Demonstrate your beliefs
What core values does your company or team have?
As a leader, it’s your job to be mindful of those beliefs and lead by example. If you tell your team members that communication is key, but then fail to communicate updates with them every day, you won’t be an effective leader.
Instead, demonstrate your beliefs by letting your actions speak louder than words. Watching you lead by example is how you’ll help your team members stick around for the long term.
3. Practice confidence, not arrogance
A good leader knows they have the skills to get something done right the first time, but an arrogant leader will believe they can do it on their own.
Your team members are there to help you, which means that no project would be complete without them there. While you develop confidence in your leadership skills, share the successes with the people who helped make them a reality. That will boost everyone’s confidence and make future projects easier to handle.
4. Recognize team member achievements
Everyone on your team gives each project their best effort. Sometimes that means they work overtime, learn new skills or take on their own leadership role within their workload.
If you don’t take the time to recognize team member achievements, it’ll lead to resentment in your team members. Give them a shout out after any kind of extra effort or hard work you see them do and consider rewarding them.
A team lunch for a job well done is great for morale, as well as small gift bags. You don’t need to go big on rewards, as long as you take the time to call them out for a job well done.
5. Work on strengths
Another great quality that excellent leaders have is their commitment to continually work on their team’s strengths. These can be developed through activities that encourage your team members to use essential skills.
A great example of a fun team building exercise is a memory wall. Once your team has had some time to work together, sit them all down with sticky notes and pens. Have them write down memories they share and put them up on the wall as they talk about them. Activities like this can inspire more gratitude and mindfulness in your employees. This creates a more welcoming environment and reaffirms positive relationships.
6. Plan to stay flexible
Every leader should have a plan, but they should also know what to do if that plan falls through. A team member may be out sick on the day before a deadline or fail to complete their part of a project.
Plan to stay flexible in situations like these. Mindfulness, flexibility and adaptability are key aspects of developing emotional intelligence, and leaders with high emotional intelligence tend to have a profound impact on creating a satisfying workplace for others. So, remember that as long as you keep a calm demeanor and talk things out with your team members, you can guide everyone through any tough work situation.
Developing these skills will help make you a more mindful leader as you continue to grow and learn throughout your career.
