Great leaders are able to say “do as I do” not “do as I say”

Every one of us is a leader in our own way. Whether we lead an entire company, or a team of people, or a group of friends, or our families, or just ourselves…we are all leaders in some form. Whatever size our circle of influence may be today, if we work to improve as leaders, that circle of influence will enlarge. 2017 should be the year you took design of your leadership style and became the very best version of you you could be.

I have been in positions of leadership my entire career, during my times coaching professional athletes, champion bodybuilders, the CEO of multiple companies and during those years I have learned much about the difference between being a bad leader and being a great leader. Some lessons I learned have been the hard way, through trial and error followed by the humility that comes from overcoming and repairing those mistakes. Other lessons I learned through observing those I esteemed to be great leaders whose example I sought to follow. Through it all I found several traits that I believe are necessary for someone to be what I consider a great leader:

Great leaders know who they are and what they stand for. They know their values and the rules they will abide by, regardless of the circumstances they face.They have a clear vision they follow and promote clearly for others to follow. They allow their people to understand the values they are committed to uphold, which lays a foundation for the rules their people will be expected to adhere to. Great leaders both know and communicate their values openly with the people they lead, creating an atmosphere of certainty and trust.

Great leaders have integrity. Integrity is the very core of their influence. Living the values they profess to believe is what gives them credibility and allows others to place their trust in them. Great leaders are able to say “do as I do” rather than just “do as I say”, because they lead by example.

Great leaders work right alongside the people they lead in order to get to know and care about the people they are leading. Working with people allows leaders to lift and inspire their team.

Great leaders listen without being condescending. They are willing to hear what others have to say without rushing to judgment. They are patient and genuine in their desire to understand the thoughts and feelings of the people they lead.

Great leaders are forthright with their people. They communicate openly and often. Great leaders take the time to communicate often to their team in order to show that their team is valued and important to them. They understand that as the leader they have an obligation to communicate directly with their people so they never allow a void that someone with negatives can fill. Great leaders take on the responsibility of communicating for themselves.

Great leaders reprimand their people from a place of love and a genuine desire to help them improve. They reprimand without anger, and they relay feedback in a direct, yet kind and respectful way. Even when they see a bad behaviour needing to be corrected, they don’t view the person doing the behaviour as a bad person. They listen and attempt to understand what led to that person making the mistake or exhibiting the bad behaviour in order to understand the underlying cause that needs correcting. Great leaders understand that when a person feels valued and cared for by their leader, they will be far more willing to take the feedback and implement the needed changes. They understand that no value comes from the use of sarcasm, beating around the bush, or sugar coating things that need to be communicated. They understand that using those things breaks people’s trust and leaves them feeling uncertain or belittled, which ultimately lead to harbouring bad feelings toward their leader, none of which inspire a desire to change or improve their own behaviour.

Great leaders love people and hate the habits. Empowering people to see that they have greatness in them and bad habits can change as quickly as they were formed.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.