8 Habits That Will Make You a Better Leader

It’s the start of a shiny new year ✨

Your people will be looking to you for guidance and reassurance as we enter more uncertain times.

Building strong foundations by adopting helpful habits will help you to be the best leader you can be.

Here are our top 8 habits that will make you a better leader.

1 – Wake Up Earlier ⏰

We hear it all the time but why is it so helpful? Especially for leaders?

By waking up to a quieter environment with fewer distractions, you can gain a greater sense of control of your morning.

Waking up to a difference in the atmosphere could be just what you need to better prepare yourself for the day ahead, so try setting your alarm for an hour earlier and see what happens.

2 – Start Each Day Offline 📵

In the 21^st century, we are constantly bombarded with emails, tweets, and messages, which can easily become too overwhelming.

Instead, stop, pause, and reflect. Take your morning slowly, allowing yourself to gradually get into the swing of the day as opposed to being swamped with never-ending notifications. If you need to, put your phone out of reach so you aren’t tempted to look through it as soon as you wake up.

3 – Make This Simple Swap ♻️

Do you reach for a coffee to energise you in the morning? Swap it out for a short morning stretch and breathing session instead. Spending just a couple of minutes of stretching and deep breathing in the morning can instantly get your blood flowing and activate your parasympathetic nervous system, also known as “rest & digest”, your body’s natural calm state. Both being great ways to prepare your body for the day ahead.

4 – Make More Time for You 🥰

Being a leader at your organisation, you will be used to listening, responding, guiding, and leading your team. Let’s flip this. How often do you purposefully make time for yourself? Whether you consider yourself an extrovert or introvert, setting aside time to be alone and recharge is important for any leader to be able to lead at their best.

5 – Practise Self-Regulation ⏸️

Are you able to recognise stress symptoms in your body? Do you manage your emotions well? If not, you may want to practise more self-regulation.

To ‘keep cool’ in any high-stress situation, you need to be able to pinpoint your stress and emotional responses to situations. When in fight or flight, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, both hormones that quicken your heartbeat and breathing and cause you to tense up.

Being able to recognise when you are feeling this way can help you re-assess the situation you are in, identify the stressor(s), and go about mitigating their impact as much as possible. To help you do this, start looking inward and checking in with yourself more often.

6 – Adopt a Learning Mindset 🧠

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader”

 – Margaret Fuller

All leaders will want to adopt a growth mindset to push themselves and their employees. Reading is one of the most powerful things leaders can do to achieve this. It gives you fresh perspectives, helps you learn from others, and in general, helps you understand yourself and the world around you better.

Here are some of our top reads:

• “Do Disrupt: Change the Status Quo or Become It” by Mark Shayler
• “Give and Take” by Adam Grant
• “The Squiggly Career” by Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis
• “It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be” by Paul Arden
• “Do Purpose: Why Brands Do Better and Matter More” by David Hieatt

7 – Offer More Praise 💬

Feeling valued is a core human need. Do your employees feel seen and valued? It is never a bad idea to be intentional with employee recognition. After all, building a strong company culture starts with happy employees. If you appreciate something, make it known!

8 – Slow Down & Be More Present 💡

With the world around us travelling by so fast, it is important we slow down and appreciate the present as much as possible. It’s time to be more accepting of past mistakes, be less apprehensive about the future, and live in the now. Being present can also help you to be a better listener and boost your self-awareness – both key skills for leaders.

“Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones – through practise”

 – Wayne Dyer

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