leader

How to Constantly Improve as a Leader

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Building a strong organization starts at the top with strong leadership. But how do we achieve sustainable leadership strength? Though high-achievers may seem superhuman in their ability to constantly meet their goals, they are neither more talented than the rest of us nor more advantaged: what sets them apart is their dedication to continuous improvement, not just in their management’s skills but holistically. They are absorbing, processing and constantly adapting in all areas: spiritual, intellectual, physical, and emotional.  As a result, they are perpetual capacity builders becoming more effective and more inspiring.

When you’re a leader, you have the responsibility of setting the standards for your organization, and whether you’re aware of it or not, everyone is watching how you lead. Rather than showing your team how smart you are, show them how much you have improved, humbly share your weaknesses and how they were overcome. Show them how you strived to learn and improve and how you consciously set goals to not only leverage your strength but importantly improve your weaknesses. Kind of like a basketball player that can’t go left is limited in her development, an executive that can’t go “left” will hit a leadership ceiling. We all have a “left,” work on it until you can unleash your inner left with confidence. By doing so you will be building unlimited leadership capacity and be able to further elevate those around you. 

One of the key aspects of this strategy is knowing that the ideal is highly individualized, in that improvement goals are different for each person and each organization. Don’t try to impress others with the goals you set to help yourself. Lead your team to align their goals and actions with what matters most.  Organizationally embrace a universal North Star, but tailor individual goals to leverage strengths and mitigate weaknesses.  


Capacity building really shines as a leadership strategy because it’s about more than just increasing productivity – it’s about holistic improvement. As a leader, you’re more than just simply a boss, so support your employees in their goals outside of work. In fact, based on the results of a Glassdoor survey, 87 percent of employees expect their employers to support them in balancing work and life commitments. By helping to build their lives both inside and outside of work, you’ll be rewarded with engaged, high-performing employees. 

The Difference Between Leadership and Management

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People typically use leadership and management interchangeably, even though these two labels can have important fundamental differences.  While highly nuanced, if you are searching for people to fill these specific roles, it is important to get this right to optimize the performance of your organization.

Managers do not necessarily need to have the chops to lead employees.   A manager needs to be able to execute on a budget and or a project. They do of course provide leadership to employees on the project team, but you do not have to find a leader to hire an effective manager.  Managers direct subordinates on assigned tasks, they “manage” the workflow. They are hyper-focused, they organize, they execute. They relish the details, they refine systems and processes, they mimic competencies and behaviors and yes, the good ones, just get the job done.

Leaders are a different animal. They innovate, they challenge, they disrupt, they inspire, they improve, they coach. Unlike managers they don’t mimic, – they bring their own unique style and defined culture. Also, they do not “direct” in the same way as a manager.  Instead, they grow their people with the proverbial teaching to fish instead of catching the fish for them – and thus fueling them for a lifetime with problem-solving skills. They are multipliers; they bring out the best in their people, they make everyone smarter. They build trust with people who can deliver on goals.

While managers and leaders are by no means mutually exclusive, it is important to account for these differences. Hiring an innate leader for a manager role may result in poor execution, stagnation, and employees leaving. Conversely, hiring someone indexed toward managing for a leadership role may result in indecisiveness, lack of people development and stale products and services.  Accordingly, the more you understand the differences and the dynamics of your organizational needs the more optimization. 

Being Candid as a Leader

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Being a leader in a company can be a daunting task. Your natural benevolent instincts may be over-indexed in efforts to make all happy. But if doing so compromises your leadership mission then you have failed.

Have you ever had a job performance realization such that when you looked back on your career with perspective, you now realize you did not have the right take? In sports, you want to know how nuances of technique can deliver gains: a tweak of a golf swing, tennis serve, or baseball pitch can be a big difference maker. Good coaches can make you good, if not great. You want these insights, and yet for several reasons, the criticisms in the workplace can hurt much more than on the field or court. As a result, you become defensive and don’t learn to improve.  If only you had a “coach” as a leader who could have more effectively “schooled” you. While being as direct as a sports coach is, a social normalization in the workplace, less so.

Accordingly, as a leader, you will be much more effective by not only coaching but doing so with emotional attunement. As a coach, engage with candor but also with validation and purpose. Also, demonstrate vulnerability by referencing an area in which you were coached, Here’s a “basic”  example, suppose you had an employee that when he spoke he repeatedly said the word “basically” in almost every sentence, – you tell this employee that a boss once pointed out to you your excessive “ums” and how your newfound awareness enabled you to eliminate this habit and become a much better speaker. – Now you will be able to weave in your example, and the coaching will feel less critical and be more impactful.

Not providing this type of feedback only does your employee a disservice. – Leave little room for interpretation. Be clear, and don’t put off having that crucial candid conversation.