5 Winning Habits of Leaders and How to Adopt Them

By Shoaib Aziz

Influence Behavior from the Top

Leaders, regardless of their position, hold a significant role in shaping the culture within their organizations. Exceptional leaders consciously exemplify the behavior they want to see in the workplace, reflecting their company's core values.

To aid you in refining your leadership style and harnessing your team's full potential, let's explore five habits commonly found among highly accomplished and effective leaders, along with strategies to cultivate them.

Lead with Empathy

Leading with empathy is a fundamental aspect of effective leadership. It involves creating an environment where people feel comfortable and empowered to perform at their best. By demonstrating care for your employees' well-being, you can motivate them to invest their time and effort in the company. According to Businessolver's 2018 State of Workplace Empathy report, a significant 87% of CEOs believe that a company's financial success is closely tied to empathy in the workplace.

Becoming an Empathetic Leader

To become an empathetic leader, consider the following strategies:

• Practice Active Listening: Active listening is a crucial component of empathy. It involves giving your full attention to what others are saying, without interrupting, and showing that you genuinely care about their perspective.
• Avoid Assumptions: Avoid making assumptions about your employees' thoughts or feelings. Instead, use clear and open questions to prevent misunderstandings and promote effective communication.
• Engage Through Meetings: In today's remote work environment, it's essential to connect with remote team members. Engage in in-person or video meetings to maintain a strong sense of connection and collaboration.

Strategies for Empathy Success

Depending on your leadership role, here are some specific strategies to foster empathy in your organization:

• For Executives: Regularly share updates on improvement efforts to demonstrate that employees' opinions and feedback matter.
• For Department Heads: Organize virtual Q&A sessions to connect with your team members and create opportunities for open dialogue.
• For Team Leaders: Conduct one-on-one meetings with your team members to gather feedback and gain a deeper understanding of their emotions and concerns.

Embrace Change

Outstanding leaders understand that the workplace is constantly evolving, and they do not settle for the status quo. Embracing change is crucial for inspiring teams to seek improvement and innovation. In today's fast-paced technological landscape, welcoming change is essential for attracting and retaining top talent.

"The only way you survive is you continuously transform into something else. It’s this idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company." – Ginni Rometty, Former CEO, IBM

Embracing Change as a Leader

To be a leader who welcomes change, consider the following strategies:

• Involve Your Employees: Employees often possess valuable insights into customers and tools. Involve them in the process of change and innovation.
• Promote Experimentation: Encourage your team to take calculated risks and provide clear guidance on how to experiment and innovate responsibly.

Strategies for Embracing Change

For leaders at various levels of the organization, here are strategies to effectively embrace change:

• For Top-Level Leaders: Pay close attention to feedback from employee surveys to make informed decisions that positively impact both employees and customers.

Act as a Mentor

Effective leaders recognize that leadership roles evolve over time. Being a successful leader involves thinking long-term and acting as a mentor to help your team members advance in their careers. This demonstrates your commitment to their future and leads to higher retention rates while preserving institutional knowledge.

"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others." – Jack Welch, Former CEO, General Electric

Mentoring Effectively as a Leader

To become a leader who mentors effectively, consider the following strategies:

• Identify Essential Skills: Identify the essential skills needed for the organization's long-term success and prioritize professional development to help employees chart their career paths.
• Promote Cross-Generational Mentoring: Foster cross-generational mentoring relationships to encourage innovation within diverse teams.

Welcome Different Views

In a healthy workplace, consensus isn't always a sign of harmony. Effective leaders create an environment where employees feel free to voice their opinions. Instead of stifling dissent, they use it to discover better ways of working and address potential issues early on.

"When employees believe their opinions matter, they are 4.6 times more likely to feel motivated to do their best work."

Valuing Different Viewpoints

To become a leader who values different viewpoints, consider the following strategies:

• Seek Additional Opinions: Actively seek out additional opinions to strengthen your ideas and decisions.
• Promote Open Communication: Make it clear that employees can reach out to you through various channels and that their voices are valued.

Encourage Age-Diverse Hires

In today's workforce, there are often multiple generations working side by side. Effective leaders understand that each generation brings unique perspectives and strengths to the table. Make your organization more diverse by blending experience with youthful energy.

"89% of talent experts believe that having employees from different age groups makes a company more successful."

Promoting Age-Diverse Hiring

To become a leader who promotes age-diverse hiring, consider the following strategies:

• Avoid Assumptions and Stereotypes: Avoid making assumptions and dispel generational stereotypes to ensure a fair and inclusive hiring process.
• Foster Cross-Generational Connections: Encourage learning from one another by fostering cross-generational connections within your organization.

Strategies for Promoting Diverse Hiring

Depending on your leadership role, here are strategies to promote age-diverse hiring:

• For Executives: Establish reverse mentorship programs to bridge the generation gap and encourage knowledge sharing.
• For Department Heads: Actively encourage interaction among employees from different generations to promote collaboration and learning.
• For Team Leaders: Lead by example and create a respectful environment that addresses any intergenerational conflicts as they arise.

Incorporating these five habits into your leadership style will empower you to measure effectively and lead your organization to greater success. Remember, leadership is a journey, and by embracing these habits, you'll be well on your way to becoming an exceptional leader.