10 Keys To Impactful Management & Leadership
Today I’m sharing a management and leadership cheat sheet.
Use it yourself. Leverage this for the managers you’re developing. Pass it along to leaders hungry to make a meaningful impact.
Here are the Top 10 Keys To Impactful Management & Leadership:
Have fun
Be a coach
Care deeply
Have standards
Ask more, tell less
Positive reinforcement
Increase energizing work
Don’t fake it til you make it
Lead with vision, know what you want
Your inner game drives your outer game
#1 - Have Fun
Laughter is one of the fastest paths to connection and trust.
Work doesn’t have to be so damn serious all the damn time.
Start your meetings with music. Send funny (work appropriate) memes/gifs. Be human and have some fun!
#2 - Be a Coach
The number 1 quality of a great manager is that they are a good coach (Source: Google Project Oxygen).
Coaches:
Challenge
Develop
Model
Guide
Coaches also call you out when you need it. They demand the best of you. They’re there to catch you when you fall, and propel you forward when you’re ready.
When you’re a coach, you’ll solve challenges WITH your people, not FOR them.
Be the best coach of their career.
#3 - Care Deeply
Caring deeply is a heck of a lot easier to say than it is to do.
This means caring enough to prioritize their wellbeing. Caring enough to have the tough conversation.
Care is not the same as like. Ideally you personally like all of your people, but I’m not talking about “Like,” I’m talking about “Care.”
Every single human I have ever had the honor of leading, I have cared deeply for their success and wellbeing.
It matters.
#4 - Have Standards
Care deeply AND have standards.
Standards of excellence. What is the bar on your team? What does good look and feel like? How about great? What does great look and feel like?
Hold your people to the bar you know they can achieve AND you can coach them to.
No one wakes up wanting to be mediocre. Have standards, hold those standards, and then be the coach who helps them meet and exceed the standards.
#5 - Ask More, Tell Less
Don’t try to be the smartest person in the room.
Because, in fact, the best leaders, the smartest leaders, are actually the ones often saying the least. They’re not talking AT you, they’re asking genuinely curious questions that help you think more critically and land on better solutions.
Don’t try to have all the answers. Be the leader who is confident enough to ask.
#6 - Positive Reinforcement
What gets recognized gets repeated.
You will move the needle more with positive reinforcement and praise than with corrective feedback.
Most adults need a ratio of 5:1. 5 points of appreciation/praise for every 1 that’s critical.
For many neurodivergent folks, that ratio is 12:1.
Be generous and genuine with your praise.
#7 - Increase Energizing Work
Focus on people’s strengths and what energizes them.
Regularly ask what’s energizing them these days, and what's draining them.
Work to steadily increase energizing work while reducing or eliminating draining work.
#8 - Don’t Fake It Til You Make It
Well intended advice and it’s terrible for leadership.
Don’t fake it. If you don’t know, ask. If you’re feeling unsure, be a human.
Strong leaders aren’t afraid to be vulnerable.
People want to follow real people, not perfect robots.
#9 - Lead With Vision, Know What You Want
Vision is wanting. To lead with vision, you regularly need to know what you want.
Who do you want to be?
What do you want for your people?
What do you want for your customers?
What do you want your team to be known for?
Clarity on what you WANT then can be followed up with what you NEED in order to achieve your WANT.
Share this wanting with others, enroll them in seeing what’s possible, and you’ll be leading with vision.
#10 - Your Inner Game Drives Your Outer Game
Build the muscles to identify inner assumptions and narratives.
Assumptions have the power to hold you back from action (boo) or to improve your approach (yay).
A strong inner game will empower you to make leadership choices that are beneficial and strengthen your impact.
Stay in the grips of inner assumptions and narratives and you’ll constantly be leading from a reactive state of mind.
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There you have it!
What’s standing out?
Comment below or email (katie@enduranceboss.com) and let me know what’s on your mind!
(PS - feel free to print this image if it's helpful!)
