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Strong leadership habits are the foundation of effective management. With consistent routines—like daily focus, trust-building conversations, coaching questions, gratitude, and healthy boundaries—you can boost engagement, prevent burnout, and create a thriving workplace culture.
Picture this: You just got promoted. Congratulations! I hope you celebrated because you deserve it.
Then, all of a sudden your calendar is packed back-to-back, your team keeps interrupting with "quick questions," and your own manager expects results you're not sure how to deliver. The champagne bottle is drying in the recycling bin and now things get real.
You're not alone. I've interviewed hundreds of world-class leaders over the years, and they've shared a collective wisdom that I want to impart to you: leadership does not need to be complicated. You don't need an MBA, a commanding personality, and you certainly don’t need to have all the answers.
What you need are a few core habits that you stick with consistently.
The best leaders do two things exceptionally well: they keep it simple and repeat what works.
This means creating habits.
Here are five battle-tested leadership habits that you can start using immediately to build trust, create focus, and strengthen connections with your team.
If I threw a dozen baseballs at you at the same time, you’d be disoriented and probably catch none. If I throw three you are likely to catch at least one.
Your day is exactly the same. There are more than a dozen baseballs in the air. Some days it seems like there are a thousand. It's incredibly easy to lose control of your day and become reactive if you're not intentional about planning.
But not anymore.
You will start every day with a simple ritual. Before you check your phone, before you open your email, find a quiet space, grab your coffee or tea, sit down, and write out the three most important things you need to accomplish that day.
Notebook, phone, app—it doesn't matter as long as you get it down in a place where you’ll see it.
Here's an example of a big three:
No matter what else happens in the day, getting to these three before the day is over is your priority.
When you do this consistently, you'll enter your chaotic days with a well-intentioned filter over your field of vision. You’ll be more selective on what to respond to and when. It brings a heightened level of focus which has a terrific effect on stress levels. And when you execute on the big three by the end of the day you can feel confident that you’ve moved the needle in the right direction.
Before diving into work topics with your direct reports, ask them something personal at the start of the meeting.
That moment of genuine curiosity builds trust and shows your team that they mean more to you than just a means to an end.
According to a Gallup Workplace report employees who feel their managers are genuinely interested in them as a person are three times more likely to be engaged at work. This simple habit helps set the right tone for every interaction.
If you jump straight into work without asking how somebody's really doing, you're unintentionally sending the wrong message that you are more interested in a transactional relationship than a real one. Over time, that chips away at trust and loyalty, and it prevents your team from sharing honest communication with you.
This takes less than two minutes but creates a foundation for a trust-rich relationship.
Invite more from your employees.
Instead of ending your one-on-one meetings with just marching orders or action items, get in the habit of asking: "Is there anything else you'd like to discuss?" or "What else is on your mind?"
This question comes from one of my favorite books, The Coaching Habit, by Michael Bungay Stanier and it works. A simple "What else is on your mind?" encourages deeper thinking and gives your team permission to bring up things they might have otherwise held back on.
Think about this: You're talking to dozens of people throughout the day. If you don't ask this question, team members can walk away carrying stress or frustration, thinking they had an opportunity to share something important but didn't take advantage of it. They might even be hard on themselves for not speaking up.
"What else?" creates psychological safety and shows that you're genuinely interested in hearing what's really on their minds, not just checking items off your meeting agenda.
One person each day. Five in the span of the work week.
This is your quota. Your goal is to let someone on your team know why you appreciate them. Be specific about what they did or how they've improved. Bonus points: let them know how their contribution had a direct impact on something important.
I interviewed Tom Mendoza, the former president of NetApp, who told me he used to call 10 to 20 people a day just to say thank you. "I heard you had a great call. Really appreciate what you did." He said people were amazingly grateful, and not only did it make them feel good, but it made him feel great too.
I also interviewed Doug Connet, the former CEO of Campbell Soup, who throughout his career sent 30,000 thank you letters to his employees to excellent results.
If those two leaders can find the time to express gratitude consistently, so can you.
If you don't have enough employees to thank five people a week, reach out to a customer, vendor, or partner. Just find somebody and acknowledge their contribution.
Here's why this matters: An OC Tanner Global Culture Workplace Report found that 79% of employees who quit said they left because they didn't feel appreciated at work. Appreciation isn't just nice to have—it's essential for retention.
Pro tip: Give people a shout-out on LinkedIn. Post about them, tag them, and mention their specific contribution. My team loves when I do this because it's public recognition that stays visible forever.
"Schedule Send" is your friend.
You might work on weekends—that's your choice—but when you send an email, even if you tell people they don't need to respond until Monday, they still see it and it lingers in their minds.
This leads to stress, which foments into burnout, resentment, and presenteeism (where people look engaged but feel drained).
Researchers from Lehigh University, Virginia Tech, and Colorado State University found that employees who receive after-hours emails from their managers experience anticipatory stress, even when they're explicitly told not to respond immediately.
Here's the solution: Write the email if you need to, but do not send it. Save it as a draft or schedule it to go out Monday morning. Protect your team's weekends. It shows you respect their boundaries and their families, and honestly, it doesn't benefit you or your team to blur those lines.
Usually, I'd tell you to pick one habit and test it out. Not this time. Because I know you can handle it.
I want you to try all five habits this week.
Track how your team responds. These leadership habits will show your people that you genuinely care about them, build trust, and help you become the leader people actually want to follow.
Being consistent with these simple practices is about creating an environment where people feel valued, heard, and respected. That's when real performance and engagement happen.
You are ready to transform your management style today. Your team is waiting to see the leader you can become, and it starts with these five simple habits. No MBA required—just consistency and genuine care for the people you lead.
Connect with me on LinkedIn and let me know how these habits have impacted your work! I'd love to hear from you.
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