development | Human-Centered Change and Innovation

Six Key Habits of Great Leaders

GUEST POST from David Burkus

In a world of growing complexity and seemingly constant crisis, we need great leaders more than ever. But when you look at the stories in the press or check the staggering numbers of burnout and disengagement in surveys, it seems like fewer and fewer leaders are rising to the challenge. It starts to seem like becoming a great leader is too complicated and nearly impossible.

But when you survey people on what makes them appreciate and follow leaders, it turns out there are just a few simple habits that set great leaders apart. Simple, but not necessarily easy.

In this article, we will explore what great leaders do across six key habits that make them influential and their teams successful.

1. Promote Purpose

The first habit great leaders do is to promote purpose. Great leaders understand the importance of connecting the larger organizational purpose to specific projects and tasks. They are able to do more than regurgitate the mission statement of the organization. They can draw a connection between the organizational purpose and the work of their specific team. In doing so, they inspire their team members to see the bigger picture and understand how their contributions align with the overall goals. Furthermore, great leaders shift the conversation towards “who” benefits from the work and promote pro-social purpose. This helps team members feel a sense of fulfillment and motivation in their work, knowing that they are making a positive impact.

2. Clarify Vision

The second habit great leaders do is to clarify vision. A clear vision is crucial for the success of any organization, and great leaders excel at explaining what success looks like and where the organization is heading. They are able to paint a vivid picture of the world or the specific people the organization serves and what it will look like when the vision is achieved. Even when plans change, great leaders provide a clear vision of what a good job looks like. They use the concept of “commander’s intent” to communicate the vision of a successful mission, ensuring that even in constant turmoil, everyone understands the desired outcome and can align their efforts accordingly.

3. Create Accountability

The third habit great leaders do is to create accountability. Great leaders understand the importance of holding people accountable to their jobs and calling them up to a higher standard. They ensure that individuals are held accountable to the result, not just the tasks. By providing the necessary resources for individuals to achieve their goals, great leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and deliver exceptional results. Leaders provide autonomy to team members, allowing them to decide how the work gets done. But they’re also reminding everyone on the team that autonomy means greater accountability to the team, not less. They are leaders who hold their team to a higher standard and encourage them to perform even greater.

4. Provide Fair Feedback

The fourth habit great leaders do is provide fair feedback. Feedback is a crucial tool for growth and development, and great leaders excel at providing fair feedback. They tailor their feedback to the individual’s situation, skills, resources, and accountability goals. Great leaders give feedback that is in equal proportion of positive to negative, focusing on building upon the great things. Poor leaders often spend most of their coaching time on constructive criticism—which can be demotivating and decrease performance. Instead, great leaders create a balance between appreciation and constructive criticism to motivate and improve performance, ensuring that team members feel valued and supported in their professional growth.

5. Build Safety

The fifth habit great leaders do is to build safety, as in psychological safety. A psychologically safe environment is essential for fostering innovation and growth, and great leaders understand this. They provide feedback in a way that does not blame individuals for things outside of their control, encouraging transparent and honest conversations about failures to extract lessons and improve. By establishing a culture of safety, great leaders create an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable taking risks and learning from their mistakes. This leads to increased creativity, collaboration, and ultimately, success.

6. Develop Oneself

The final habit great leaders do is to develop themselves. Great leaders recognize the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. They take responsibility for developing themselves as well as others. With a growth mindset, they actively seek out new information and skills, constantly striving to become better leaders. Great leaders understand that they need to develop themselves in the areas that their team needs in order to be better leaders. By investing in their own growth, they set an example for their team members and inspire them to also pursue personal and professional development.

The habits discussed in this article are what make great leaders worth following. They’re simple, but not necessarily easy. And they need to be done on a regular basis. But great leaders understand the importance of these habits and strive to incorporate them into their leadership style. By promoting purpose, clarifying vision, creating accountability, providing fair feedback, building safety, and developing oneself, leaders can inspire their teams to do their best work ever.

Image credit: Pixabay

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on August 21, 2023

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Case Study 1: Zappos

Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer, excels in customer service and is often cited as a prime example of how training and development initiatives can revolutionize the customer experience. Zappos believes that happy employees lead to happy customers, and they invest heavily in employee development programs.

The company’s onboarding process is unique. New employees undergo an immersive four-week training program that covers Zappos’ core values, culture, and customer service philosophies. Call center employees receive intensive training on active listening, problem-solving, and empathy techniques, enabling them to address customers’ concerns effectively.

The training doesn’t stop after onboarding. Zappos follows an open-door policy, allowing employees to access support and training resources whenever needed. The company encourages collaboration and learning through continuous coaching, mentoring, and workshops. By prioritizing employee training and development, Zappos has created a workforce that is genuinely passionate about delivering exceptional customer experiences.

As a result, Zappos receives numerous positive customer reviews and boasts an impressive customer loyalty rate. The company’s success is a testament to the impact employee training and development can have on enhancing the customer experience.

Case Study 2: The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is renowned worldwide for its impeccable customer service and luxury experience. The organization firmly believes that delivering outstanding customer experiences starts with investing in employees.

The Ritz-Carlton takes a unique approach to employee empowerment through a program called “The Ritz-Carlton Mystique.” The program encourages employees to take ownership of their roles and empowers them to make decisions that enhance the guest experience within specific guidelines.

To ensure that employees understand the company’s service values, all new employees, regardless of their position, attend an intensive onboarding program known as “The Ritz-Carlton Experience.” This program instills the service philosophy and standards expected of employees to deliver exceptional customer experiences consistently.

The company also emphasizes ongoing training and development to enhance skills and knowledge. Employees have access to various learning opportunities, including on-the-job training, mentoring, leadership development programs, and continuous performance feedback.

Through these initiatives, The Ritz-Carlton has created a culture that cultivates excellence in customer service. Empowered employees who possess the skills and knowledge to handle any situation efficiently elevate the overall customer experience, leading to exemplary guest satisfaction and loyalty.

Conclusion

Employee training and development play a critical role in enhancing the customer experience in organizations across industries. The case studies of Zappos and The Ritz-Carlton provide compelling evidence of how investing in employees’ skills, knowledge, and empowerment leads to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Companies should recognize that training and development should be an ongoing endeavor, with emphasis placed on understanding customers’ needs, effective communication, problem-solving, and a customer-centric mindset. By prioritizing these aspects, businesses can create a workforce that is equipped to deliver exceptional customer experiences, resulting in a strong competitive advantage.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Braden Kelley’s Problem Finding Canvas can be a super useful starting point for doing design thinking or human-centered design.

“The Problem Finding Canvas should help you investigate a handful of areas to explore, choose the one most important to you, extract all of the potential challenges and opportunities and choose one to prioritize.”

Image credit: Unsplash