3 Ways To Be A Stronger Leader Right Now

Whether you are a formal or informal leader, CEO or someone just starting out in your career, there are always tweaks you can make to show up in an even stronger way, and it is important to always be growing and learning new things.

Sometimes, we can get caught up in bigger development goals and miss the small actions we can take each day that, over time, can add up to make the big difference we seek.

I know I have found — in my past corporate career, my own business now and when with family and friends — it’s the small things each day that make just as much (or more) of a difference in how I show up as a leader, business owner, spouse, friend and parent.

Here are three little things (that take no more than one or two minutes at a time!) that you can do to make better choices, strengthen your relationships or snap out of it when self-doubt or worry starts to creep in:

1. Consider your values and character in any moment and use it to guide your next action.

When things get tough and you need to make a choice, pause and reflect on what you value and how you can make sure this value shows up right now. When you express your values and character, you show up with integrity and it gives you energy, pulling you forward. Ask yourself:

Is this a reflection of who I want to be as a leader and person? If not, how can I behave in a way that is?

You may have a value of “respect” or “kindness” or “treating others fairly” or “compassion”. If so, take a moment to ensure that your actions express this — I’ll make you feel good and can have a ripple effect with others.

2. Think about three reasons why you are awesome at what you do (even if it doesn’t always feel that way).

Only you can do things the way you do them — you bring unique strengths and perspective to your role and, too often, we forget about all the good things we are doing and let worry or comparison to others take over.

Every single day (start right now!), take a couple minutes to think about or write down three ways you are awesome at what you do. This may feel boastful, but if you want to think in a different way you have to take time to acknowledge why you are here in the first place. Figure out what you need to hear to remind yourself of your awesomeness whenever you can.

It will help you be more confident and when you are more confident, you will show up as a stronger leader. As an added benefit, you will start to notice more of the awesomeness in your team members, which will bring out their best, too.

3. Strengthen relationships by giving your full attention to the person.

In the middle of challenges at work, nothing is more crucial to your success as a leader than the strong relationships you have around you. Yet, when things get too busy or issues arise, we often forget that spending time with others and strengthening our relationships is so important, no matter what’s going on.

One of the most effective ways to strengthen a relationship is being conscious of how you respond to someone’s good news.

Science has shown that, when someone tells you their good news, and you are distracted looking at our phone, display low energy, show understated support, point out the negatives, switch to talking about your good news, say “give me 5 minutes” or appear disinterested even in the slightest way, it erodes the strength of that relationship over time.

Instead, next time someone tells you their good news — whether it’s how a meeting went, a kid’s hockey game, or a nice email from someone, stop what you are doing right then (even put your phone down!), pay full attention, be enthusiastic and supportive, and ask questions to help that person relive their good moment. This can take as little as one minute each time and it will be time well-invested in your relationships.

Here’s what to do next . . .

If you do these things daily, they can become a habit and will actually rewire your brain to develop a more positive outlook. They also have a ripple effect with others, making you a stronger leader. And it doesn’t matter if you practice this at work, at home or on the subway — it will positively affect others areas of your life as well.

Give one of these actions a try every day for the next week and see the difference for yourself. Remember, small changes can make a big difference.

I know you’re busy, so I’ve put together the most important thing you need to do and action you can take to take control of your stress at work.

CLICK HERE to download your copy of the Be At Your Best Roadmap.

PS-Share this with anyone who you think will find value in these strategies!

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.