5 Leadership Habits to Boost Success… Starting Today!

Leaders who want to keep their finger on the pulse of their organization need to have strategies in place to increase their likelihood of success. Businesses committed to leadership development are 12 percent more likely to have higher levels of revenue. Unfortunately, most companies don’t take the time to grow leaders, and teach management what they can do to have a greater chance of success in the workplace. 

That’s where these leadership habits come into play. By implementing a core strategy that helps you to boost your leadership potential, the entirety of the organization is elevated. These five simple habits will help you to keep a finger on the pulse of your company, and achieve higher levels of success. 

1. Review Daily Activities

Many parents are familiar with the high-and-low game played around the dinner table. Every person shares their high point and their low point for the day. Leaders (or those who want to be leaders) can benefit from the same type of self-reflection. At the end of the day, ask yourself key questions like: 

• What did I do well today? 
• How could I have done better today? 
• Where can I improve to make tomorrow better? 
• What were the best and worst parts of the day? 

You may want to jot your answers down in a notebook so that you have them to review at the end of the week or month. This is a great way to hold yourself accountable for sticking to goals. 

2. Get Out of the Office

You might feel too busy to get up from your desk, but you could benefit from getting outside for just a few minutes a day. Instead of eating lunch at your desk while you pour over paperwork, head outside to eat your lunch on a park bench or take a stroll around the block. Even if you only have one minute, spend it outside in a green space. 

Studies show that spending as little as 40 seconds in nature makes you more attuned to the next task, boosting your overall productivity. As a leader, make sure you are taking care of yourself to set a good example for your employees. Another benefit is that taking breaks of any kind is essential to productivity. 

3. Establish Boundaries

You’re probably familiar with the idea of setting boundaries with the people who surround us. As a leader in your organization, you also need to be intentional about setting boundaries during the work day. Having boundaries in place will increase your ability to focus on the task at hand without interruptions.

Whether this means putting a sign on your office door or simply directing your assistant to hold your calls for two hours, boundaries make it clear that you are focused on the task at hand, and should not be disturbed by matters that can be solved by other people. 

In addition to providing focused time for important work, time blocking is also a great way to make sure that you have time to meet with your coworkers and employees, time for communication, or other activities you want to make sure you’re intentional about.

4. Prioritize Your Important Tasks

Do you know what you need to get done first thing in the morning? Productivity experts recommend that you start off with the most important task. This means that secondary activities such as responding to emails or voicemails should wait until mid-morning or early afternoon unless something pressing arises. This concept comes from Brian Tracy’s book Eat That Frog, a powerful success tool for leaders.

To help you prioritize your important tasks, write out a to-do list for the morning before you leave the office at night. This ensures that you are ready and organized so that you can start your morning with the “frog” that awaits you. 

5. Create a Morning Routine

Want to start your day off on the right foot? Then take time to invest in yourself before the work day even starts. Do what feels most fulfilling and gratifying to you, and leave your smartphone on the nightstand while you focus inward. 

This is a great time for meditation or prayer, but it can also be used to read personal development books. Leaders might choose to journal or exercise first thing in the morning. Regardless of what makes you happiest, you can benefit from a morning routine that emphasizes your own personal well-being before you head to work to focus on others. 

As a leader, the habits you adopt into your daily routine set the bar for success for yourself and your employees. These five habits are designed to give you a great start on the day to boost your productivity, and encourage your workers to do the same. Success will follow when everyone in the organization incorporates these habits into their lives.