Disciplines of Leadership

As a leader, you will have your big moments. But, great leaders are made not in the big moments, but in the daily disciplines. While there are many things that demand your focus, here are three things that need your attention daily. This daily attention will help build the bridge between goals and accomplishments.

Get real

Develop the daily discipline of being a realist. You can have pie in the sky goals all you want; the fact is, they aren’t going to happen often. Great leaders understand where they are and what is currently possible. Then, and only then, can you start building up to achieving big goals; one realistic goal at a time.

It’s not about you

Not one day goes by that your leadership is about you. Develop the discipline of being the support system for your people. What do they need? Are they lacking resources, training, or engagement? Do they need support, encouragement, or maybe just a listening ear? Make sure you are in-touch with the needs of your people on a daily basis.

Small steps

It’s the small steps you take every single day that will make all the difference in the long-run. Develop the discipline to do the small, seemingly insignificant, things on a daily basis. You can only make giant strides for so long before one of two things happen. You exhaust yourself and your people, or you find yourself so far down the wrong path that it’s extremely difficult to change course.

Build the Bridge

Get realistic about where you are, where you are going, and what it is going to take to get there. Remember that your leadership is never about you. And, discipline yourself to take the small steps every day that make a big difference over time. Build the bridge between your goals and your accomplishments by developing the daily leadership disciplines that lead to success.