PPI #99: What Great Leaders Actually DO

Today we're going to be talking about what makes a great leader, and all of these things are things that you can learn.

Number one, the key thing to becoming a great leader is to build what's called vulnerability based trust. People don't like working with someone who never makes a mistake, right?

The number two area that great leaders excel in is around decisiveness, so the ability to prioritize speed over precision and decision-making. It's much better to make a decision quickly, even if it's the wrong decision, than to sit there and deliberate in analysis paralysis and never move forward.

Number three area that is a hallmark for great leadership is around reliability. Great leaders do what they say they're going to do. If you're not building your personal integrity bank account by doing the things that you say you're going to do, you will not separate yourself from all the want to be great leaders.

Number four thing that great leaders do is that they are productive. They take the time to figure out what are the right things that they should be working on.

Number five, great leaders rally everyone behind a great vision. What is the vision that you could be using to inspire yourself and others?

Number six, great leaders then think about the strategy that's necessary to achieve that vision. How are you going to go about using what's unique about you or your group or whatever to achieve that vision?

Number seven is all about execution. We've got a great strategy. We need to execute. We actually need to get this stuff done.

Number eight, great leaders remember that they're managing or they're leading a team, not a family. There's a big difference between the two because families strive to stick together no matter what, whereas teams are optimized to win at all times.

Great leaders have difficult, tough conversations. They don't shy away from them. They step into them.

Number 10, great leaders mind the metrics. They make sure that everyone knows the metrics, the points, the things that are needed to win the game.

Number 11, great leaders practice anti-fragility. They recognize that stress actually builds strength. They step into discomfort.

Number 12, great leaders make bold moves. When things change, great leaders step into that change. Great leaders don't shy away.

Great leadership is not something that can't be learned. It is learnable. It's something I learned.