8 Habits Successful Leaders Practice To Build A Legacy That Lasts
by Brent Roy
Your habits as a leader, both good and bad, are building a legacy that lasts. In my 40 years in the corporate world, I have worked alongside dozens of leaders. I’ve experienced many mediocre, incompetent, and downright evil bosses.
Successful leaders that build a lasting legacy, I have observed, are exceedingly rare. These are the bosses who are known for leading by example. They practiced habits that I emulated to help me to also lead by example.
You can adopt these habits to become a more successful leader.
Dave FergusonWhen I think of the best leaders I’ve encountered over my career, Dave Ferguson rises to the top. When I first worked with him, Dave was the head of a government organization with 750 staff. His uncommon ability to lead well looked effortless to the casual observer. As one developing my own leadership qualities at the time, I sat down in a coffee shop with Dave to learn his secrets to successful leadership.
Leading By Example Differs From Managing Objectives
It was a busy weekday morning and the din of baristas grinding beans and creating espressos for hurried workers faded into the background. I was eager to hear the thoughts of a masterful leader. Despite the surrounding clamor, Dave was as relaxed there as I often observed him to be at work. In between sips of Americano, Dave first made the distinction between managers and leaders.
“Management is more about managing objectives and having targets,” he said. “It’s all part of having a well-run organization but leadership is more on the inspirational side…. It’s what people do when no one is watching.”
I was watching, and over the next 90 minutes, Dave shared with me what turned out to be…
8 Habits Successful Leaders Practice To Build A Legacy That Lasts
People over Money
Making a profit is one of the most important drivers for success in any business. When it trumps all else, that’s when it becomes a problem, muses Dave. He prefers to favor people, aware that success has a lot to do with the way you treat people.
Listen Well
Really listening to people is one of the best ways to show people you care. Dave expressed the importance of leaders cultivating good listening skills.
“The boss may not always be right,” he said “You need to give people a chance to speak their mind but you have to listen to what they’re saying because they may have the right idea.”
Building upon listening well is to involve people in decision making.
Involve People And Encourage Participation
Dave’s style of leadership is participative or democratic. To develop trust and respect in the people he leads, Dave recognizes the importance of involving people, a key to building a legacy that lasts.
“As a leader, you need to be comfortable enough with yourself to admit that you don’t necessarily have all the answers.”
Recognize Others
For those that do have the answers, a successful leader would give them the recognition they deserve. According to Dave, “There are other people in the organization who know more than you do, so let them shine.”
“Some people think there is only a limited amount of shine in the world,” he said. “That’s crazy. The more people shine in your organization the happier people are and the better job gets done overall.”
Trust and Empower Others: Don’t Micromanage
According to a survey, a micromanager is the worst kind of boss. Bad bosses drive job dissatisfaction, and senior leaders should seek to deal with such destructive traits in their managers. As a democratic leader, Dave trusted those around him and made it a point to lead by example. When I wondered aloud about a challenge I was facing, he would often say, “You’re the expert in that area. Trust your gut.”
Be Humble
If the worst bosses are micromanagers, the best bosses are humble. Despite being the leader, he did not lord his title over others. He was able to acknowledge failure. It made me and others on the team feel OK to do the same. When something didn’t work out, he was interested in fixing the problem, not blaming others. In stressful situations, he was unflappable. In my own leadership, I often dipped from Dave’s well in times of crisis. When my staff would start to panic over an issue, I would help them to gain perspective, reminding them that none of their decisions would result in any loss of life.
Communicate Clearly and Often: Be open and transparent
Dave touted the value of communication, noting, “Even when you think you’re doing a good job communicating to your staff, you can always do more.” He stressed the importance of sharing information with the staff.
“Knowledge is power but it has to be shared,” he said, noting his practice of openness “has never come back to bite me.”
Be Consistent
I never had to strategically find a time when I thought Dave would be in the right mood to discuss contentious issues. Whenever I had an interaction with Dave, I knew what to expect. Regardless of circumstances around him, I could expect Dave to consistently demonstrate the traits that made him successful as a leader.
Conclusion
Dave has long since retired since that morning in the busy coffee shop years ago, but his legacy lives on. For the many who experienced his leadership over the years, Dave’s consistency made him a legend. The workplace needs more leaders like Dave; those who lead by example. By developing the habits that Dave practiced, like him, you can build a legacy that lasts.
To sum up this post, I’ve asked some friends in leadership to share their experiences.
Quotes from Experts:
What, in your opinion, is the most powerful leadership trait of a great leader?
Jeff Dempsey:
“The most powerful trait I have seen in great leaders throughout my career is when they are transparent and vulnerable. This instills a deep sense of trust in your leader. Trust is one of the most important things to have in your leader, particularly when facing challenges.”
What makes it so powerful and what were the circumstances when you experienced it?
“I have a leader I currently report to that has continuously supported our team through huge corporate changes. They have done this by trusting us and being transparent and open throughout it all. This makes us all feel supported and empowered to do our jobs effectively.”
What advice would you give to a new leader?
“Build meaningful relationships with your team. With relationships comes transparency and the ability to be vulnerable. With this comes trust. Once you have their trust you came overcome a lot.”
Jeff Dempsey is Dean, School of Information Technology at New Brunswick Community College.
What, in your opinion, is the most powerful leadership trait of a great leader?
Katherine Molnar:
“In my opinion, the most powerful leadership trait of a great leader is high emotional intelligence.”
What makes it so powerful and what were the circumstances when you experienced it?
“What makes high emotional intelligence so powerful is best observed when a leader is able to diffuse a tough situation and by managing their own self and emotions, then able to focus on the situation and participants, to identify and empathize. It’s an authentic act.
My first experience was very early in my professional career and observed a senior leader navigate a difficult situation further compounded by the political environment. He was brave and authentic, and demonstrated sincerity and confidence which as an observer, made me feel empowered. He was my mentor for many years and think of him often.”
What advice would you give to a new leader?
“Take time to understand yourself, your views, your reactions and to know what triggers you.”
Katherine Molnar is a DIrector with the Government of New Brunswick.
What, in your opinion, is the most powerful leadership trait of a great leader?
Kim Rickard:
“I learned about The Flight of the Geese from Evelyn Morrison RSW Manager.”
What makes it so powerful and what were the circumstances when you experienced it? How did it make you feel?
It signifies the team approach, supports individual opinions, and when one can’t carry the heavy load, the rest circle around to support the one needing extra support.
What advice would you give to a new leader?
“Be open to the opinion of your team and work together to solve problems. A good leader does not abuse the position of power but works with the team equally.”
Kim Rickard is a Registered Social Worker in Private Practice with Kim Rickard Consulting.
I’m Brent Roy, MCC, CMC, a certified career, executive and personal development coach and certified mentor coach. I can help you increase your confidence to prepare you for promotion or a new career. For more ways I can help, reach out to me.
This article was originally published here on May 23, 2022 and May 11, 2022 on YourTango as “8 Habits That Successful Leaders Practice In Order To Build A Lasting Legacy”
It was also featured on MSN. This post was updated Nov. 22, 2023 to feature quotes from my guest experts and to reveal “Ken” in the original as Dave Ferguson.
