The most important aspect you can bring to your leadership is to strive to be your best. That means setting high expectations and standards and refusing to accept anything less.
This same principle applies to you personally, your company, your team, and the products and services you represent.
When you accept nothing less than the best you become the kind of leader who focuses their energy—and the energy of others—on achieving their best.
Here are some ways to make sure you’re getting the best from yourself and your team:
Align with the best. In every situation and relationship—from service providers to component vendors—connect yourself with the best people producing the best products in the best organizations.
Bring real meaning to your mission and purpose. We all want to create something of significance. Remind your team how the work they’re doing connects to your mission and makes a difference in the world.
Show appreciation. Every opportunity is an opportunity for acknowledgement. The best leaders thank people for the quality of their work and their role in making a company, product, or project a success. Every time you thank someone, you are making them feel more valuable and more motivated.
Give freedom. Allow people the room to be free to make mistakes, to take chances, to set the standards higher than the status quo. Freedom fosters insight, thought, and action, and increases engagement and self-esteem.
Pay attention. No one is at their best when they are being ignored. If you expect those around you to act like a key player, make sure you’re treating them like one. Paying attention does not mean you take over. It means you listen, without interrupting, ready to learning something new.
Have a common cause. A clear vision and sense of direction can unite everyone around a common cause. A great goal brings people together.
Make service your central focus. In any organization, the core purpose is ultimately to be the best you can be for those you serve. A strong focus on service has the power to bring about great change.
It is not enough to think you are the best; you need to follow up with action to be the best.
As the leader of a business, an organization, or a team, you should be asking yourself these questions every day: How am I going to be my best? How am I going to leave people better than I found them?
Lead From Within: It’s the determination to be the best that makes us want to make a difference—which is usually the starting point of advancing to the top.
N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
- A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
- How to Succeed as A New Leader
- 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
- 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
- The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
- The Deception Trap of Leadership
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.
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14 Responses
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Fred Aubin
21. Oct, 2014
Great counsel for avoiding the perils of mediocrity.
lollydaskal
23. Oct, 2014
Thanks Fred and a very true statement.
Garren Fagaragan
21. Oct, 2014
aloha Lolly…
Making the best choices…being our best
seems to be the game for contributing
and serving others optimally.
As you state…connect yourself to the best
people in every situation and relationship.
(that’s why I show up here to your blog…
smile)
I have certainly found that connecting with the best accelerates the unfolding of my own “bestness”.
…an interesting phenomena.
Thanks for another great post Lolly.
lollydaskal
23. Oct, 2014
We do have choices, and we do have to bring our best to all we do because when we do, we can honor ourselves.
Panteli Tritchew
21. Oct, 2014
Greetings, Lolly:
I love the idea of aligning with the best because it is so uplifting.
One of the really wonderful things about being human is that we can always strive to be better, no matter how good (or bad) we are. The best thing about trying to be our best is that it’s an internal bar, not a competition.
When we strive to be our best, we are happy with our efforts, we develop and exude a positive mental attitude that is seen and felt by others. And the beauty of it is: whose best is better…really…doesn’t…matter.
Looking forward to #leadfromwithin tonight!
lollydaskal
23. Oct, 2014
Panteli
We cannot be perfect but we can strive for being our best.
From my heart to yours.
Thank you.
Bruce Collard
22. Oct, 2014
Right off the top, to connect with the best in whatever your endeavour can only be of benefit to you as a person as well as a service provider.
Great stuff –
Bob Brady
24. Oct, 2014
The challenges of doing our best in our times not only demand our best, but they demand often inordinate amounts of our time. No one can get to where they want to go without making sometimes difficult decisions about how and where time is spent. To truly be your best you must get into the habit of making tough calls about your time and where you invest it.
Vikas Saxena
24. Oct, 2014
Lolly : as always, your exposition is just too good. Any one who honestly aspires to attain success and bliss in life will just never come to terms with mediocrity. Best is ‘the’ standard, not ‘a’ standard. While there is always scope for improvement in anything one does, yet, nothing prevents one from doing one’s best. There is an adage : “Give to the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you”. Calibrating what is best is a matter of attitude. The points you have so aptly touched in your post, are pathways to attaining the best and the course becomes simple when we do our best. Lolly, you are the best pathfinder.
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Vikas Saxena,
CEO : Professional Expertise Group,
vksaxena@professionalexpertisegroup.com ;
http://www.professionalexpertisegroup.com ;
# + 91 98440 22017;
Bangalore {India}
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Patricia
15. Nov, 2014
It’s really a cool and useful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you just shared this helpful info
with us. Please stay us informed like this. Thanks for sharing.
@DKDissects
02. Apr, 2015
Thank You Lolly. Superb, personally I believe striving for the best, whether I achieve something #1 or 2. At times, circumstances, force us to settle something LESS. This practically has happened to me. But I would say, even if you are settling down for a thing or two less, elevate your position and follow the real path of being best. Lead From Within.