Leadership in Nutshell - Basic Rules for Leading

leadership principles in practice

1. Clear expectations

People want to do a good job, your role is to tell them what a good job looks like.

2. Performance problems aren't mostly performance problems

They are expectations problems, and stating expectations once is not enough.
Can those you lead clearly explain what you expect from them? If not, start from there.

3. Care, genuinely.

Who is the best leader you've ever worked for? What made them the best?
The most common answer: "They cared about me."

4. Helpful feedback

Feedback is important and required for growth, but not all feedback is helpful.
Dont be nit-picked. At best, it's distracting noise. At worst, it's hostile and defeating.

5. Authencity

As a leader you can talk culture... or you can stop talking, and pick up the trash (you embody culture), what is louder?

6. Smile

Smile isn't just a smile. It is non-verbal cue signalling that:

everything is ok
their job is secure
you are glad to have them
they can trust you.

When the conditions are right, things thrive naturally. A simple way to be a good leader is to create an environment in which people can flourish. Don't overcomplicate your leadership style.

This article was originally published on https://craftengineer.com/. It was written by a human and polished using grammar tools for clarity.
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