How to Be a Leader & Not A Jerk PT. II

Did ya get them to drink the Kool-Aid?

Just like any other new habit, you need to practice…a lot.  This kind of muscle memory takes patience and you can’t be lazy!  Now, you need to walk the walk from part 1. Your team should be excited with the overall vision and be clear with their mission.  To keep the momentum from belly flopping, you need to be clear with your goals and BE CONSISTENT.

Your team is looking to you for guidance and faking it is impossible.  Thus, the best route is honesty, be yourself, and keep your focus on the vision for living the mission. The team is going to look to you for strength, and when they get tired of it all, they are going to wait for you to fall apart.  Your behavior is paramount in keeping the team motivated. Think your team will care about the vision more than you do? Nope. When you hint at not caring, they will smell it in the air and the momentum will stop. The fast track to creating a miserable team culture is by saying one thing and doing another.

Nobody can lead the way you do.  Own it. Live it. Most importantly, be yourself.  Throughout your career, your assignments will change, the people and places will change.  The only consistent factor is you - your work ethic, and your principles. So, get comfortable being you. Stick to your ethics and make sure that your decisions won’t keep you up at night. This way, you will never be pushed into doing anything that conflicts with your own values.  Your reputation will protect you from that.

Take the time each morning to give yourself permission to be who you are.  This will help your team get comfortable with you. It takes you from being a stiff jerk to someone relatable and approachable.   Your team will perform at their best when they know what to expect from you. After all, they are following your lead.

Gandhi once said, "Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony."

Now, go create that happiness!