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"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too." - Goethe Congratulations on your new role as CEO. As you step into this position of influence, you're likely focused on strategy, financial projections, and operational improvements—the "hard stuff" of business leadership. But what if we suggested that the most pivotal factor in your success will be your approach to the "soft stuff": purpose, culture, relationships, and personal transformation? What You'll Learn Why your first 100 days should focus on purpose before strategy How to quickly assess and transform your leadership team The three essential tools that will define your leadership effectiveness Practical steps to build credibility and engagement from day one How to avoid common pitfalls that derail new CEOs The New CEO Challenge The statistics for new CEOs are sobering: approximately 40-50% of executives fail within their first 18 months (Harvard Business Review, 2005; Corporate Executive Board/Gartner) . Why? Rarely is it because of technical incompetence or strategic missteps. Most often, it's because they fail to build the right culture, establish trust-based relationships, or align the organization around a compelling purpose. As a new CEO, you're inheriting a complex web of relationships, unspoken rules, and established patterns. Team members are watching your every move, wondering: Who is this person? What do they really care about? Will I thrive under their leadership? Your initial impulse might be to make swift structural changes, announce bold initiatives, or demonstrate your expertise through immediate decisions. These actions might feel productive, but they often backfire without the foundation of trust and shared purpose. The Transformational Approach The most successful new CEOs take a different approach. They recognize that before they can transform the organization, they must be willing to transform themselves. They understand that leadership isn't about having all the answers—it's about creating the conditions where others can contribute their best work toward a meaningful purpose. This starts with a simple formula: Engagement = Aspiration + Empowerment Your primary job as a new CEO is to foster engagement by igniting aspiration through clear purpose and creating empowerment through trust-based relationships and appropriate authority. Consider the contrasting approaches of these two CEOs: Steve Ballmer  succeeded Bill Gates as Microsoft CEO in 2000 with an aggressive, high-pressure leadership style. Ballmer focused heavily on competition, maintaining the dominance of Windows, and driving sales growth. His approach was characterized by intense energy and a relentless focus on market expansion. While Microsoft's revenue grew significantly under his leadership (from $25 billion to $78 billion), the company struggled to gain footing in emerging markets like mobile and cloud computing. His leadership style fostered what many described as a hyper-competitive, insular culture where departments often competed against each other rather than collaborating. This focus on immediate results and existing product lines came at the expense of groundbreaking innovation. Satya Nadella , who took over Microsoft in 2014, approached his first 100 days with a markedly different philosophy. After just 100 days, leadership experts were giving him "very high marks, an A or A-" for his initial approach. Rather than focusing solely on competition, Nadella emphasized transformation and creating a growth mindset throughout the organization. He introduced a "mobile-first, cloud-first" strategy and worked to break down the silos Ballmer's competitive culture had created. In contrast to Ballmer's "larger than life" approach, Nadella connected with employees on a human level, sharing personal aspects of his life and admitting to buying more books than he could finish. This vulnerability and emphasis on learning created a cultural shift that empowered employees to collaborate across boundaries and take risks without fear of punishment. The difference in results has been striking. While Ballmer's approach drove some short-term growth, Nadella's transformational leadership has resulted in Microsoft stock increasing nearly tenfold since 2014, with a 27% annual growth rate, ending what had been a 14-year period of near-zero growth under the previous leadership. Your Next 100 Days: Building the Foundation Your early decisions as CEO will set the tone for your entire tenure. Here's a transformational approach to your next 100 days as CEO: Days 1-30: Listen and Learn Conduct deep listening sessions with team members, board members, customers, and other stakeholders Look for patterns in what you hear—recurring themes, pain points, and aspirations Begin articulating your personal purpose and how it connects to the organization's mission Assess the current state of leadership, management, and coaching within the organization Days 31-60: Define and Align Share what you've learned transparently with the organization Articulate a clear, compelling purpose that connects individual contributions to meaningful impact Begin one-on-one coaching relationships with your direct reports Identify early opportunities for visible wins that align with the purpose Days 61-100: Empower and Execute Establish explicit agreements and promises with your leadership team Implement a system of supportive accountability (not blame-based management) Begin making structural changes that align with purpose and address clear obstacles Model the vulnerability and growth mindset you want to see in others The Three Essential Tools for New CEOs As you navigate your role, you'll need three essential tools: Inspirational Leadership : Your ability to inspire aspiration by connecting people to purpose. This requires articulating why the organization's work matters, how it creates value, and why individuals should commit their energy to its success. As a new CEO, your job is to make the purpose so compelling that people adopt it as their own. Empowering Management : Your approach to creating explicit agreements, granting appropriate authority, and implementing supportive accountability. New CEOs often make the mistake of either micromanaging (showing they don't trust the team) or completely hands-off management (creating confusion about expectations). Empowering management strikes the balance: clear expectations with appropriate autonomy. Transformational Coaching : Your capacity to help others grow beyond their current limitations, to see how their unconscious comfortzone may be in their way. This involves helping team members recognize when they're operating from fear-based default strategies and supporting them in developing new approaches aligned with purpose. For new CEOs, this builds trust while elevating performance. Avoiding the Common Pitfalls New CEOs commonly fall into several traps that undermine their effectiveness: The Expertise Trap : Feeling pressure to demonstrate your expertise by having all the answers. This shuts down others' contributions and creates dependency. The Action Bias : Making changes to show you're "doing something," before you understand the system and its needs. This creates initiative fatigue and resistance. The Isolation Effect : Becoming separated from ground-level realities as people filter information before it reaches you. This distorts your decision-making. The Fear Factor : Allowing your own fears about performing well to drive decisions rather than purpose-based considerations. This creates reactive leadership. To avoid these pitfalls, commit to: Regular reflection on your own behaviors and motivations Creating multiple channels for honest feedback Developing a personal "board of advisors" who can provide perspective Making your purpose explicit in every major decision Putting It Into Practice This Week Here are five specific actions you could take this week as CEO: Conduct Purpose Interviews : Ask team members: "Why does our work matter? What impact do we create that's meaningful to you personally?" Listen for themes that can form the foundation of your purpose articulation. Share Your Journey : Tell the story of what drew you to the organization and what you hope to accomplish together. Be honest about both your confidence and your questions. Establish Feedback Norms : Make it clear that you want genuine input, not filtered information. Share a specific area where you're working to improve to model vulnerability. Define Early Wins : Identify 2-3 initiatives that align with the emerging purpose and address clear pain points. Ensure they're achievable within 90 days. Create Reflection Rituals : Establish daily or weekly reflection time to assess your own leadership approach and adjust as needed. The Transformational Impact When you approach your new CEO role with this transformational mindset, the impact extends far beyond financial metrics. You'll create: A leadership team united by shared purpose rather than individual agendas A culture where people bring their full creativity and initiative to work Greater organizational resilience during inevitable challenges Personal fulfillment through meaningful contribution Sustained performance that becomes your leadership legacy Remember, the soft stuff isn't soft at all—it's the foundation upon which all hard results are built. As the leader, you set the tone for how purpose, relationships, and personal growth are valued in your organization. The choice is yours: Will you lead from fear or purpose? Will you manage through control or empowerment? Will you coach for compliance or transformation? Your answer to these questions will define not just your success as CEO, but the impact you have on every life you touch through your leadership. Are you ready to create transformation from day one? Join The Interchange: Where CEOs Find Clarity Through Community Leading through uncertainty doesn't have to be a solitary journey. The Interchange brings together a community of mission-focused CEOs who value integrity, humility, and personal growth. This monthly gathering provides a confidential space where you can: Process complex leadership challenges with peers who understand the unique pressures of the role Gain diverse perspectives from leaders across industries and sectors Develop practical approaches to your most pressing organizational issues Build meaningful relationships with fellow leaders committed to transformation Unlike typical networking groups, The Interchange f ocuses on substance over status. Our CEOs are united by their commitment to purpose-driven leadership and their desire to become the best versions of themselves. Join a community where vulnerabilities are strengths, questions are welcomed, and every leader is both teacher and student.

What You'll Learn: The five distinct levels of decision-making authority  How to match authority with responsibility for better outcomes  When to decide alone versus when to collaborate or delegate  The importance of transparency about decision-making processes  How appropriate delegation restores team enthusiasm and ownership Sean and Amanda left my office less excited than they entered it. Just three weeks prior, we discussed the need to improve our online presence. Amanda and Sean asked for 3 weeks to put a project plan together. They were so excited that just 2 weeks later they brought back their plan. And it was phenomenal. After they excitedly shared it, I made the mistake of saying “Fantastic job… and, do you know what would make it even better? You should do … (I continued to talk for a few minutes)” Silence. And then Amanda broke the silence and said, “Ok, we’ll get to work on that.” Sean and Amanda left my office less excited than they entered it. It took me a few months to realize why: I improved their idea by maybe 10% but I undercut their authority by 100%. This was their project. These were there innovative ideas. And I had just squashed (unintentionally) their excitement. For over a year, I had worked hard to inspire my team and the fruit of that labor was paying off in many ways. Everyone was stepping up and taking responsibility. They were being accountable for getting results. What was missing was that I hadn’t ensured that everyone on the team was clear about the level of authority they had to make decisions. There was a mismatch between the results people were accountable for and the authority they had to make decisions to fulfill that responsibility. So, who gets to make decisions in your organization? If that isn’t crystal clear then you have work to do. Effective teams need clarity. Clarity of Vision, Clarity of Mission, Clarity of Purpose and Clarity of Role. Having Clarity around how decisions are made is especially important since organizations are required to make hundreds of decisions every week and sometimes every day.   It’s good practice for effective leadership teams to clarify how decisions will be made at the beginning of the work.  And the greater significance the decision has, the more important this is to do.   This is especially important for team morale.  Leaders, remember that everyone can understand that decisions need to be made for different reasons. The key to explain this ahead of time.  And do not ask for input if you don’t plan on using it, especially if the decision has already been made. Here are the  5 Levels of Decision Making : Level 1: I decide The Leader decides alone.  There are organizations that function well with a leader making the decisions all the time.  And there may be times when a leader faces an urgent deadline and a decision must be made right away.  In this case, the leader is in the best position to make that decision due to their perspective on the issue, and thus they see the landscape more clearly than anyone else on the team.  Level 1 decision making should be used sparingly if you want to create an empowered culture where everyone is contributing at their highest level. Level 2: I decide with your input The leader decides with input from others.  Leaders make the big bucks to make decisions, especially the hard ones.  When the cost of failure is high, the leader must step up and decide. When this happens, the leader can seek input from the key members of the team but ultimately has the right to make the decision independently. Want the 5 Step Summary? Click to download the 5 levels of Decision making PDF here . Level 3: We decide together Consensus.  The team decides as a group.  This happens when the entire team weighs in on the decision.  This is especially useful when a decision will have such a profound impact on the organization that the team needs to debate, discern and decide together. This approach can take time since reaching consensus means that we all agree we can live with the decision. If the team cannot reach consensus, then often times the best resolution is to take a vote.  Side note: be sure to clarify ahead of time how the voting will be done and what will determine the result (i.e. will 51% or greater determine the result?).   “When we are debating an issue, loyalty means giving me your honest opinion, whether you think I'll like it or not.  Disagreement, at this stage, stimulates me.  But once a decision has been made, the debate ends.  From that point on, loyalty means executing the decision as if it were your own.”   ~ Colin Powell Level 4: You decide with my input Subcommittees are one great example of Level 4 decision making.  Typically, the leader will ask the subcommittee to take on specific work that the leader has input on.  From there, the subcommittee/subgroup then come together to do work on behalf of the whole team.  This is especially useful when the subgroup has expertise on the issue.  It’s also helpful for when the whole team needs to ‘divide and conquer” because there is so much work to be done that it isn’t possible for everyone to be involved in every decision. Level 5: You decide The leader turns the decision over to someone else to make in Level 5 decision making. One final note: it’s important to also remember that different companies have different cultures.  One company may be ok with Leaders making Level 1 decisions often; whereas, another company would prefer to make Level 5 decisions 95% of the time.   The key is transparency so that everyone is on the same page about who is making what decisions and why the decision is being made that way.   Effective teams are united and support the decision once it has been made. As soon as I realized where I had taken a misstep, I went back to Sean and Amanda and let them know that they had complete authority (Level 5 decision) to do the project the way they wanted to do it. And just like that, their excitement was back! Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How having a champion fully committed to your success accelerates growth  Techniques for developing greater self-awareness of strengths and weaknesses  Methods for gaining more accurate perception of others  Strategies for improving responses and communication skills  Ways to leverage your unique strengths for greater impact  Approaches for building more effective relationships, even with difficult colleagues  Why openness to learning is essential for coaching effectiveness vExecutive coaching can be life changing and infinitely useful in helping professionals develop a strong set of skills needed for their jobs ( just ask Bill Gates ) . To reap the full benefits, you will have to go in with a positive mindset and a genuine desire to improv ve “Coaching is only Coaching if it’s asked for." With this desire for growth, here are 6 key benefits you can expect to get from executive coaching: 1. Committing 100% to You and Your Success It’s simple really. The best executive coaches make you feel like the center of the world and that they care about nothing more than your growth and your success. If you don’t feel comfortable and willing to share with your coach, it’s time to find a new coach. 2. Helping You to Become More Self-Aware Being self-aware is one of the most important factors in becoming a successful leader, manager and coach. The more self-aware leaders are, the higher the levels of organizational success and profitability they will achieve. And employees are more likely to follow leaders who are transparent about their own strengths and weaknesses. This ability to see themselves clearly inspires fellow team members to want this for themselves which ultimately leads to a culture of growth. At the beginning of the engagement, your executive coach will collect information regarding how people see you and how you see yourself. A good executive coach will categorize the feedback into key subjects, and through a process of inquiry (i.e. lots of questions), the coach will lead you in a process of self-discovery that will help you better grasp your main strengths and weaknesses based on others’ perspectives. Moreover, your coach will help you build the skills necessary so that you can become more and more self-aware over the course of your lifetime. Skilled coaches have the ability to ask you questions that get you to think about how you see yourself, your strengths and what can be improved, and to learn to view yourself as objectively as possible. And they do this in a way that is supportive of what you want in life. 3. Shaping How You Perceive Others More Accurately Not only do you need to have an accurate depiction of yourself, but you also need to do the same with others. We all have incorrect or incomplete perspectives of others. For example, some leaders may not acknowledge some of their employees’ true capabilities and potential, but they keep incompetent employees around because of inaccurate view on their abilities and competencies. Or worse yet, leaders allow toxic employees to remain because they are high-producers (this can be common in the world of sales). A skilled coach will help leaders see how their perspective is tripping up their effectiveness and allowing a negative impact on the people around them and thus their overall culture. A great coach will not shy away from these “difficult” conversations. An executive coach must have the courage to take on these topics or they are not serving your best interests. You will learn to apply the same skills that you learned from seeing yourself more clearly to develop better and more accurate views of others. And with these more accurate views, you are now equipped to more effectively lead, manage and coach others. 4. Improving Your Responses As a leader, you will want to learn new response techniques that are both effective and appropriate for people of all levels. An executive coach will help you improve your communication skills so that they can be applied throughout your professional and personal life. 5. Putting Forth Your Strengths A good coach will take a closer look at you and help you uncover your strengths. Often times, we have a hard time seeing our own strengths and truly owning them. This seems obvious, but without it you cannot make the most out of your strengths. Too often we focus too much on our weaknesses but a great coach will help you grow into the best version of yourself by leveraging the strengths you have. 6. Nurturing Effective Relationships Sometimes, leaders can be close-minded when it comes to building connections with new people. They choose only to build relationships with their preferred groups of people. In most cases, they simply engage with people who they identify with the most, whether it’s in terms of their educational background, race, work style, or beliefs. Your coach will work with you to grow your ability to create relationships. Building relationships is the most critical skill for any leader to master. This is especially true when it comes to building relationships with colleagues who are different from you or just plain difficult to work with. A great executive coach will give you the skills needed to transcend these differences and create a relationship rooted in a shared future. When this sort of relationship is established, then both people are more committed to a shared future together than they are to their own comfort and natural tendencies. "Without a pull toward some goal, which people truly want to achieve, the forces in support of the status quo can be overwhelming. Vision establishes an overarching goal. The loftiness of the target compels new ways of thinking and acting. A shared vision also provides a rudder to keep the learning process on course when stresses develop. Learning can be difficult, even painful. With a shared vision, we are more likely to expose our ways of thinking, give up deeply held views, and recognize personal and organizational shortcomings. All that trouble seems trivial compared with the importance of what we are trying to create. In the presence of greatness, pettiness disappears. In the absence of a great dream, pettiness prevails.” Peter Senge The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Science of the Learning Organization Doubleday/Currency Phoenix Perform provides executive coaching & team building consulting for enterprises, get in touch today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How transformational leadership develops unconscious thought processes  Why conscious purpose and mindset are crucial for leadership effectiveness  The importance of cultivating commitment to meaningful purpose  How integrity integrates words and actions through accountability  Techniques for helping people understand unconscious motivations  The connection between personal growth and organizational transformation  Why leadership is about "who people are being, not what they do" Here are the 3 most important parts of your mindset to improve in order to become an effective leader. For 26 years, we have been working with organizational leaders to develop within themselves the capacity and propensity to lead their people effectively. Our clients have made transformative changes in their mindsets, resulting in dramatic increases in the effectiveness of the people that comprise their organizations. And this transformation in mindset has resulted in improvements in quality, service and financial sustainability. Recent advancements in the sciences shed light on the inner workings of how our process works. “We are living in the middle of a revolution in consciousness. Over the past few years, genetics, neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists, anthropologists, and others have made great strides in understanding the building blocks of human flourishing. And a core finding of their work is that we are not primarily the products of our conscious thinking. We are primarily the products of thinking that happens below the level of consciousness. The unconscious parts of the mind are not primitive vestiges that need to be conquered in order to make wise decisions... Instead, the unconscious parts of the mind are most of the mind – where most of the decisions and many of the most impressive acts of thinking take place. These submerged processes are the seedbeds of accomplishment.” (1) The work of leadership development involves helping one shape their unconscious thoughts and submerged process, thereby affecting these “seedbeds of accomplishment.” Part of the revolution in the sciences is the recent understanding that the brain is malleable (some refer to this as "plastic"). As we learn, we develop new neural pathways in the brain. So, we can consciously adopt new perspectives and ways of thinking that, with practice and repetition, become unconscious competencies. When a team of leaders is engaged in this growth process together, their thoughts change and they change the culture of their organizations. Culture is the unconsciously agreed upon mores and norms that define the rules of engagement in any group of people. So, by impacting the unconscious thought processes of a leadership team, and helping them develop the capacity and propensity to do the same for others, we intentionally shape both the mindset of individuals and the culture shared between members of the group. A fundamental principle at work is this: It’s about who people are being, not what they do. Two different people can give a speech on the same topic. They are doing the same thing. One can be optimistic, open, and accepting and produce a particular affect in their audience. Another can be pessimistic, closed and judgmental and produce an entirely different affect in the audience. A practical example of this: The techniques of brainstorming are widely understood and utilized in organizations. However, if the members of the group are committed to the purpose, open, future-focused and willing to take risks, the session can be very productive. On the flip side, if the members are committed to protecting themselves, the status quo, and being risk averse, the process will produce little other than frustration. The work of leadership is transformative in nature. Transformation is creating a change in the basic nature or character of a thing. In this case, helping people to consciously create a transformation in their mindset that allows them to affect their thought process, those of others, and the culture of the group. Being able to conceptualize these features of a leadership is a critical step in growing our capacity to be a leader. So, how is this done? The key is to develop three separate and distinct features of your mindset: Inspiration: The conscious cultivation of a commitment to a purpose that they see as meaningful is at the core of great leaders. Every great leader in history has stood up for something that they believed in. We all know inspirational people who are "on a mission.” Their “mission” gives them more energy, and desire to accomplish results and grow their capacities. How are you inspiring others? Integrity: The integration of word and action is critical. Simply put, integrity is giving your word and keeping your word. Individuals and organizations that strive to operate with high integrity use accountability to ensure execution and to support success. What are you doing regularly and consciously to foster integrity and accountability? Insight: Helping people attain insight into their unconscious motivations is a key in creating growth for each individual and for the organization. Growth occurs when we generate actions that are focused on the higher purpose we are in the service of rather than merely pursuing what is comfortable and habitual for us. How are you growing and improving? And how are you helping others improve? (1) “The Social Animal” by David Brooks, Copyright 2011 by David Brooks Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why a leader's primary job is to develop other leaders, not solve problems  How to model leadership behaviors effectively  Techniques for encouraging input and engaging all team members  Strategies for recognizing and rewarding good performance  Methods for understanding individual motivations  How to create appropriate urgency and empower decision-making  Ways to build a coaching culture where feedback is welcomed As a business owner or a team leader, your job is to bring out the best in your team and to help everyone grow and improve. This includes yourself. This should be the top priority for any leader who wants to generate effective and efficient results AND have the most fulfillment in their job. It’s rare indeed; however, to find a leader who not only believe this but puts it into practice. The reasons for this vary by leader, but often times it boils down to this… often times, the best problem solvers are promoted to leadership positions. And problem solvers do what problem solvers do… they keep solving problems. And as a new leader, they now face the challenge of even more problems to solve which stretches their abilities and can lead to burnout. And the more problems a leader solves, the more problems his or her team bring to them to solve. This creates an unfortunate cycle of unsustainable behavior where the leader feels overwhelmed with all the work (problems) they have and the team feels like they must bring all the problems to the leader. So, what’s the antidote? The key is to realize that your primary job is to lead, not solve problems. Once you start to work on this, you’ll start to see your team step up to take on more and more work because they start to realize that you are not there to solve every problem. And they start to feel empowered by you to be creative and solve the challenges on their plates. And this empowerment allows others to step up and become leaders themselves. Here are a few of the things that you can do to bring out the leader in each of your team members. 1. Be Their Leader If you want to bring out the leader in others, you must first model leadership for them. Think of the very best leaders and model their behavior. You want your employees to look up to you as their role model. This is a lifelong journey so continue to study leaders as you grow into the leader you want to be. 2. Encourage More Input More often than not, employees are filled with fresh ideas that they are too afraid to share because they don’t think anyone, especially their manager, wants to hear. This is why you need to constantly encourage your employees to voice their ideas. Make sure they know that feedback is actively encouraged. Your job is to make every single person feel safe so that they can do so effectively. If you get the sense that someone is “holding back” on you, then you haven’t done your job yet. Stay focused on building the relationship until they start to open up more and more to share feedback and ideas. 3. Engage Everyone Whenever you’re in a meeting room, try to engage everyone in the conversation and listen to what they have to say. Don’t forget to thank them for their input. Obvious? Yes. Practiced? Rarely. Too often leaders don’t take the time to actively listen to what their team is saying. The best way to actively listen is to ask open-ended questions. Creating this discipline will encourage others to express their opinions more often. 4. Get to Know Each Employee You can’t help motivate your employees if you don’t know anything about them. Make time for one-on-one meetings with each of your team member to get to know them better. Even quick, informal conversations go a long way in building relationships. The more you know about them, the more you can nurture their leadership potential. 5. Reward Good Performances If an employee impresses you with great ideas that help the team moving forward, don’t forget to acknowledge them. The best way to show them that you appreciate their contribution is to acknowledge it in a very specific way. Instead of say, “John, great job” be more specific and say, “John, the way you treated that customer yesterday afternoon was great. You listened to what they had to say and asked 4 questions to make sure you really understood their concern.” 6. Motivate Your Employees Once you have gotten to know each employee better, figure out what motivates them personally. When in doubt, ask them. That way you’ll know exactly what motivates them and they’ll get the exact recognition that they need. And as they get the recognition that they need, they will be motivated to produce more of the same results. This will create a virtuous cycle. 7. Create a Sense of Urgency You want your employees to be proactive and act fast. By creating a sense of urgency and letting them know exactly what is expected of them, they will be more driven to fulfill their role and contribute more to the company. 8. Empower Them to Make Decisions Every good leader needs to be able to make hard decisions. You can bring out the leader in your employees by giving them a chance to make major decisions regarding their jobs. This will show that you trust them to be in charge, and it will help them to be more confident in themselves as well. 9. Build a Coaching Culture Everyone struggles to see how their attitude and actions impact others. This is why coaching is so critical because it allows everyone to help each other to see how their behavior impacts others. As a leader, you should be able to let them know what they could do to better themselves as well as tell them what you want them to keep on doing. This will encourage them to be the best version of themselves while prompting them to work on their weaknesses effectively. And the very best way to get your team to ask for coaching is to ask them for coaching. And it can be as simple as this, “John, what could I start doing that would help you the most in your role?” A leader must build relationships strong enough where this is not only ok to do, but it is welcomed by others who have a genuine desire to constantly improve. The key is to never offer coaching unless the other person asks for it. Coaching is only coaching if it is asked for. If you need any advice on how to improve your leadership skills, Phoenix Perform is your best bet. Our staff can help you to become the best version of yourself, and we can help you realize your full potential. Contact us today for more information. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How executive coaching enhances cognitive understanding of leadership  Why coaching helps leaders reach their full potential faster  Techniques for developing greater self-awareness  The value of learning difficult truths in a supportive environment  How coaching accelerates the development of necessary skills  The importance of having a trusted space to process leadership challenges  Why openness to learning maximizes coaching benefits Executive coaching continues to grow in popularity in recent years, and companies are increasingly starting to employ coaches for their executive leaders. Here are some of the key benefits of executive coaching for newly appointed leaders: Cognitive Enhancement The primary “tool” that a leader can utilize to accomplish work through and with others is the brain. A master car mechanic must understand how an engine works in the same way that a leader must understand how a brain works. Understanding how the brain work is critical for any leader, especially a new leader. This may seem overwhelming, but don’t worry, you don’t need to be a brain surgeon. Here’s why… the amount of information available on our brains has exploded in recent years. Work can become stressful very quickly for anyone who is just starting a new position as there is an overwhelming amount of new information to learn, typically in a short amount of time. On top of that, new leaders are expected to perform well in their main responsibilities, help new team members grow all the while adjust to the cultural norms of the organization. Combined, these factors put great pressure on the new leader, making them feel obligated to perform well. This is where executive coaching can prove immensely valuable. An executive coach can help a new leader understand how their brain works (including the role of the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system) and how to boost the powers of cognition to more effectively lead themselves and their teams. An executive coach can also a leader see things from a different perspective. They’ll learn understand their minds better and to see the role of various factors such as automatic proclivities and unconscious bias. This way, one can see things in a more objective way, making it more effective for the person to work as efficiently as they can. Better Productivity Executive coaching can help new leaders to reach their full potential with incredible productivity. Effective executive coaching can help a person add value to the company twice as quickly. Learn to Be More Aware Those who have been coached by an executive coach are found to be more self-aware. This means that they are better at foreseeing whether solutions will work and they are more likely to spot any potential limitations. If a person is self-aware, they are able to portray themselves in a good light on their first day of work, making a great first impression. Also, coaching allows new leaders to be more adaptive in how they face a problem and how they choose to solve it. Learn the Hard Truth Having an executive coach by your side to constantly give feedback on your performance is very beneficial for self-improvement. It may be just what you need to hear… the hard truth that no one has had the courage to say to you as of yet. During the coaching period, new leaders will have time to process and reflect on how to improve themselves in a safe space. In a way, it serves as a preparation period prior to the start of a new role that may prove to be rather stressful. Learn to Develop Necessary Skills In a Short Amount of Time Sometimes, we don’t have the luxury of time to learn and develop as we grow. Executive coaching can boil years of learning down to only a few months, weeks or even hours. This is perfect for leaders of small to medium-size companies or even start-ups as they deal with their growing businesses. Executive coaching can help them prepare for the hard work that is to come. They Can Talk It Through Executive coaching offers a supportive environment for an individual to work through some issues that they might encounter in their new positions. Coaches will also provide appropriate encouragement and help them to grow the confidence that they need. As a result, they won’t feel as if they are going through the transition alone. Takeaway Mentioned above are the benefits of executive coaching that have been found to be true for many CEOs, business owners, and numerous others. However, it is imperative to note that even the most incredible coach can’t help someone who doesn’t want to learn and grow. Remember: Coaching is only coaching if it’s asked for! NOTE: Select Wisely The quality in the executive coaching world varies widely so it’s important to find the right one. This is especially true for a new leader since the executive coach has the potential to significantly alter the trajectory of a new leader. A great executive coach can help a new leader soar and, well, a poor executive coach can cause significant harm. If you need any advice on how to improve your leadership skills, Phoenix Perform is your best bet. Our staff can help you to become the best version of yourself, and we can help you realize your full potential. Contact us today for more information. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: What intrapreneurship means in organizational contexts  How fear and unconscious emotional reactions impede innovation  The brain science behind resistance to change  Five attributes of an innovation-embracing culture  How conscious awareness helps overcome unconscious reactions  Why shared purpose transcends individual agendas in innovative cultures  The importance of constructive confrontation of difficult issues Disruptive forces are reshaping our economy. Responding quickly and effectively with innovative solutions is crucial for survival. Yet, implanting innovation into organizational DNA remains elusive. Many approaches have been attempted to foster innovation but fall short of resolving the innovation dilemma. Fostering innovation requires: 1) an understanding of the root cause barriers to innovation and 2) a comprehensive approach to creating a culture that fosters innovation. If humans operated like computers with the simple logic of the binary code, no barriers to innovation would exist. We are not rational beings however, we are emotional beings with the capacity for rational thought. Our emotional mind, which controls most of our perceptions, is a-rational. That is, it is without reason, as opposed to irrational, or unreasonable. At times this unconscious, arational response serves our purpose, at other times it’s counterproductive. Our emotional mind resists change, as it is always looking to past experiences to inform our present actions. The latest brain research reveals that the part of the brain that is our “fear center” (the amygdala)is essentially an organ that senses novelty.  That means that anything that we are not accustomed to, that is new, or that is not our idea triggers fight or flight in us all!  The specific fears that get triggered in us are, of course, individualized however, most people share: 1) The fear of failure. 2) The fear of the unknown. 3) The fear that our creative idea will be rejected by others. 4) Our propensity to believe that we are “right” and any other viewpoint is “wrong". In order to engage in real innovation, one must become aware of the presence of these unconscious beliefs, suspend them, and consciously engage the executive center of the brain. Thinking is volitional as opposed to emotion which is involuntary and automatic.  Therefore it requires a great deal of conscious effort and will. Thus, if we are to innovate, we must learn to govern our unconscious emotional reactions with our conscious thoughts. If you are looking to develop an innovation embracing culture you must nurture the following attributes: Team members have a conscious awareness of their unconscious emotional proclivities, and reactions. Team members are united by a consciously generated, emotionally compelling shared purpose that is superior to their individual agendas. This emotional force counteracts unconscious barriers. Personal accountability for measurable outcomes motivates the development of innovative processes, products and services. Team members do what they say they will do, even when barriers arise. Open communication is utilized, unimpeded by organizational rank. Confronting difficult issues is accepted as a necessary and integral part of the creative process, and is conducted in a manner that strengthens interpersonal relationships. We refer to such a culture as intra preneurial . "An intrapreneur is a person who takes the direct responsibility and commensurate authority to organize and manage an enterprise, within a larger organization." The distinguishing characteristic essential to intrapreneurship is the voluntary taking of initiative and risks associated with generating the outcomes of the enterprise. The organization that consciously, methodically develop an intrapreneurial culture will have the greatest opportunity to survive the forces of entropy in an ever-changing world. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why genuine desire for improvement is the foundation of leadership development  How journaling can enhance self-assessment and awareness  The importance of maintaining openness to feedback and learning  Techniques for adapting leadership models to your unique situation  Why stepping outside your comfort zone accelerates growth  How strategic breaks prevent burnout and sustain development  The truth that leadership is a teachable trait anyone can develop In today’s world, it’s important that we learn to be leaders. The world needs more people with good ideas who are willing to take the initiative to make things better, and it’s a skill that not many people have. Although leadership skills may come innately to some, it’s a teachable trait. One can be trained to become a good leader. In fact, you can even teach yourself to be a good leader with the right approach and mindset! This is what we’ll be talking about in this article. Here are six tips on how to make yourself a better leader: Have a desire to be better The very first thing that you need to become a good leader is the desire to be better and to improve the things and the people around you. Without a team to surround them, a leader is not a leader at all. Therefore, a leader also has the desire to bring people together and to take them in the direction of success. Remember - the desire to be better will drive you to improve yourself, and that is the key to every successful leader. Assess yourself You have to keep track of what you can do to make yourself a better person and develop it from the ground up. By keeping a journal about your thoughts, ideas, and other things drawn from your self-assessment, you will know exactly what you need to work on. This is the key to self-improvement. A good leader is someone who is willing to break their comfort zone and be better every day. That’s what you need to be willing to do daily if you want to be a leader. Have an open mind and be willing to learn Another important trait of a good leader is someone who is willing to learn. To be able to learn, you need to have an open mind. Instead of being offended by criticism, you need to take it as it is and use it as feedback to strengthen your weak points, determined to do better next time. Don’t just blindly copy someone else When you learn about something that has the potential to be integrated into your leadership model, the next thing to do is to think about how it can be translated into the way you do things. Don’t just copy your entire leadership model from someone else, as there are leadership different needs for every situation. The best leadership style is one that fits your personality as well as the role that you’ve been assigned to. Be adaptive and apply your knowledge to solve a problem Before you sign up for a leadership coaching program, you should know that it’s not going to be an easy path. You will have to step out of your comfort zone a lot and you should be eager to do so. In fact, the key to success is to do something that challenges you and makes you uncomfortable. This means that you’re working toward something new and making constant progress in the direction of your goals. Give yourself a break from time to time Another important aspect of being a good leader is knowing when to take the load off of yourself from time to time. The more work and pressure you put on yourself, the more likely you are to do something that you don’t want to do. You need to learn to delegate and give yourself a break so that you don’t get too stressed out. If you need any advice on how to improve your leadership skills, Phoenix Perform is your best bet. Our staff can help you to become the best version of yourself, and we can help you realize your full potential. Contact us today for more information. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How to assess the value of investing in your leadership development  Why action beyond learning is essential for growth  The importance of taking responsibility for your development  Why patience with the development process leads to better results  How willingness to leave your comfort zone accelerates growth  The connection between determination, commitment and coaching effectiveness Great executives are always striving for more. They are constantly trying to improve themselves to achieve more, reach higher, and accomplish their goals. These people will attend countless seminars and workshops just because they want to stay on top of the trends. They can also be seen holding a career coaching book. You may also see them participating in a leadership training program. If you’ve been stuck in the same position for a long time now, it could be that you’re not doing any of those things that other driven executives are doing. That being said, it’s never too late to change. Here are five signs that will tell when you’re ready for a leadership training program: 1) You are prepared to invest in yourself It’s true that hiring an executive coach means that you will have to spend some money and sacrifice some time. However, you should look at it as an investment in yourself. After you have learned everything from your executive coach and applied it to your professional life, the return on your investment will be immeasurable. 2) You are ready to put in some work No programs or coaches can make a difference if you don’t do the work on your part. Unlike a therapy or counseling session, an executive leadership development program requires action. You need to be ready to put in some work before you commit to the training. Otherwise, you will be wasting your time and money for nothing. 3) You are willing to put excuses aside A good executive coach will know when you’re making excuses. If you show up late and unprepared, there is no use lying or coming up with justifications for your actions. After all, you’re paying to be coached, and so you should do whatever it takes to make the most out of the experience. In other words, you’re here to reap all the benefits that the training has to offer. 4) You are committed A leadership coaching program is not there to provide you with all the answers to your problems. Rather, it is there for you to learn from your executive coach as much as you can so that you know how to come up with new solutions to your problems on your own. You need to understand that you won’t get the results that you want overnight. Therefore, you need to be patient and do your best while you’re at it. 5) You are ready to take risks Before you sign up for a leadership coaching program, you should know that it’s not going to be an easy path. You will have to step out of your comfort zone a lot and you should be eager to do so. In fact, the key to success is to do something that challenges you and makes you uncomfortable. This means that you’re working toward something new and making constant progress in the direction of your goals. The Bottom Line A career development training is only suitable for those who want to better themselves. This will only be effective if you’re ready to learn and take some risks. An executive coach can guide you toward success, but only if you’re determined and committed enough. Are you ready for the challenge? Phoenix Perform provides executive coaching & team building consulting for enterprises, get in touch today to see how we can help. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How reliability and follow-through build team integrity  Techniques for communicating effectively while respecting others  The importance of stepping outside comfort zones to support team goals  Strategies for handling change professionally  Methods for establishing positive work relationships  Why team player effectiveness depends on contribution, not personality Every team needs someone who is committed to completing the task and achieving the goal. And the very best teams take turns being this person because the reality is that everyone has a bad day or week and needs to rely on their team mates during these tough times. And while most of us can easily list the qualities of negative team members, it is much harder to pinpoint the qualities of strong team players. As a starting point, we offer these five characteristics that every good team member possesses: 1. Reliable A strong team player is someone that people can always count on. This does not mean they will always say yes to everthing. Quite the contrary… reliable people act with integrity which means their yes means yes. And their no means no. Because if someone can’t say no with integrity then they can never say yes with integrity. When a team member is reliable, you can trust them to get the work done before deadlines, keep their word, and produce great work in a consistent manner. 2. Communicates Effectively and Confidently Some team members may have great ideas, but they are not likely to speak up because they are concerned that their idea isn’t perfect. Great team players on the other hand do not hesitate to speak up confidently when they have an idea while also being respectful of other team members’ opinions and standpoints. These great team members are quick to ask lots of open ended questions as a way of understanding what others are saying and as a way of getting the best ideas out of everyone. 3. Takes on Extra Responsibilities Good team players will get their part of the job done, but great team players will take on more responsibilities than what was asked of them. They understand that in order to learn and continuously grow, they need to step outside of their comfort zones and take more risks. 4. Adapts Without Much Trouble When going through some changes, great team players will not take too much time adapting to new situations. In addition to being flexible, they act in a professional manner by being able to handle the stress that comes with any change. This, in turn, will encourage others in the team to do the same. 5. Shows Passion and Commitment Some team members come to work and do their job just to get their paycheck. Strong team players, on the other hand, make the most out of their time to ensure that positive work relationships with others on the team are established. They also show genuine commitment toward other team members in the hopes that they will also return the same level of commitment. Great team players come to work with passion and commitment to drive the team forward. The Bottom Line Contrary to common belief, great team players are not always extroverts fond of socializing with others. There are no fixed personalities for great team players. You only have to be an active team player who is willing to do more than what was assigned. In the end, you will be recognized for your positive performance, thus gaining more meaningful connections to thrive in your career. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: Why leadership isn't limited to those at the top of organizations  How effective leaders embrace not having all the answers  The truth about leadership development versus innate ability  Why purpose motivates more than results alone  How leadership can emerge regardless of formal title  The essential role of failure in leadership growth  Why great leaders take responsibility and inspire compelling visions “Just do what you're told.” We’ve all heard that phrase before and most of us have probably said something like it at some point in our life. And whether at home with kids or in the work place, this “do as I say” approach has never really worked. And there’s no mystery as to why it isn’t effective in the workplace … we humans love our autonomy. We all want a job that allows us to contribute more to our organizations and be involved in the decision-making process. And leaders that fail to adapt to this way of thinking create challenges and pitfalls for themselves. And this “do as I say” misconception is just one of many challenges that can be avoided. Below are some of the other most common misconceptions about leadership that every leader should ask themselves, “How might this be showing up in my approach to leadership and what should I do about it?” 1. Leaders Are Those At the Top Leaders are often perceived as those people at the top of the pyramid who hold all the power and control over the organization: CEO, Superintendent of Schools, Executive Director, President (the person at the top of the org chart). This view of leadership is far too simplistic & one-dimensional and thus it lacks the depth that true leadership contains. A leader is anyone who can generate a view of the future that others see as their future . Leaders are responsible (i.e. they decide how they want to respond to anything and everything) for their own lives and take this role very seriously. The most inspiring leader we’ve come across in the last 3 years had such a sense of energy and excitement that it only took her 2 minutes to bring life into a room full of complete strangers. She spoke with passion and said things like, “when I come to work, I come to get busy and serve these kids!” She takes responsibility for her role and wakes up every morning thinking about how she will own and respond to what life presents her. Each and every day. Her job title? School Janitor. She’ll forever be a leader. This means that anyone and everyone in an organization can be a leader if they so choose. Leadership is not about a title. 2. Leaders Have All The Answers There’s a common view that leaders have all the answers because how else would they have risen to their roles. This notion that leaders are “strong” and never show weakness is a relic of the past. People that spend their time hiding their limitations/weaknesses and work hard to manage what others think of them are actually eroding their effectiveness. This is because we don’t trust and thus aren’t able to follow a leader who isn’t human. The truth: we admire leaders who are willing to be human and to show that they aren’t perfect. This doesn’t mean that these leaders are willing to just sit idly by. No, effective leaders are continually pursuing growth and personal mastery. They are always working to get better because they know they do not have all the answers. 3. Leaders Are Born That Way Some people are referred to as “a born leader.” Life is far too complex to rely on such a simple notion. There’s no doubt that we are each born with different strengths and weaknesses, but it’s what we do with those that make all the difference. We are the sum total of the millions of decisions we make over our lives. And it’s never too late to go to work on becoming an effective leader. Mozart was eight years old when he wrote his first symphony. And have you heard of Dimitrion Yordanidis? He was 98 years old when he ran a marathon in Athens, Greece. Now that’s inspiring and the stuff of leadership! These are great reminders that we’re never too young and never too old to lead others. 4. Leadership Is All About The Results In this fast-paced working environment, the reason that we work has become harder and harder to see. It’s no secret that employee engagement is pathetically low and a great deal of this is due to the fact that organizations have lost sight of the power of leadership to connect people to the purpose of work. Most organizations are managing their people to death by focusing only on results. There’s nothing wrong with getting results. In fact, the very best organizations generate remarkable results year after year. A great leader is also a great manager, and a great manager helps their team generate results by holding them accountable in a supportive way . But getting results is not why people do what they do. A leader’s job is to connect the purpose of everyone on their team with the purpose of the organization so that they are intrinsically motivated and excited about their work. 5. Leadership Is Fixed If someone believes that leadership is a title then it would be logical to assume that someone can only become a leader when a current leader gets another job, resigns, or is fired. The reality is that leadership is not fixed to certain job titles. In the very best organizations, leadership is dynamic because everyone has a chance to inspire and lead anyone else within the organization. This means that everyone can choose to be a leader regardless of their title. 6. Leaders Cannot Afford Failure People tend to hold a misconception that failure is not an option in successful leadership. This could not be further from the truth. Failure is part of one’s exploration and road to growth and improvement. If a leader is stuck in their comfort zone for fear of failure, new innovations will never be discovered and nothing will ever improve. By failing, a leader can learn from their mistakes and grow as a leader. The willingness to do so also sets an example for the rest of the organization that it is ok to make mistakes, learn from them and get better as a result. Great leaders embrace failure as natural in life and as the very best way to improve. The Bottom Line Outdated misconceptions of leadership need to be put aside and replaced with a new one: great leaders are those who take responsibility for their actions and generate a view of the future that others take on as their own . A good leader understands that they are in control of their own lives and that they can learn from their mistakes. By letting go of leadership myths, anyone can be a leader. Any time, any place and anywhere. Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.

What You'll Learn: How to recognize and manage emotions during decision-making  Why focusing solely on past experiences can limit effective choices  Techniques for verifying information from multiple sources  Strategies for gathering and filtering meaningful feedback  The importance of trusting yourself despite uncertainty  How courage serves as the foundation for effective decision-making The ability to make decisions is a crucial skill for all of us living in the 21st century. The world continues to change at break neck speed and we can no longer rely on the 19th century model of “command and control” management. It’s simply impossible to adapt to the myriad of decisions that come before us every week with a model that requires “asking the boss” every time. So it’s simply not practical anymore. And more importantly, relying on the boss to make decisions is the surest way to sap the life and energy out of every team member. Being able to make decisions in the moment makes it possible for us to adapt to new situations as they happen. How does someone become a better decision maker? It would be disingenuous to offer a simple formula; however, we can offer these five ideas to consider: 1. Notice your emotions. Breath. Think. We find that the best way to do this is to: make a conscious decision to start noticing your emotions, keep a simple list of emotions that you notice throughout a day, and do not try to change your emotion… just acknowledge it. This is hard to do, especially those of us who are a bit self-critical. Resist the temptation to say something like, “I shouldn’t be having this reaction or this emotion right now.” Just notice the emotion. And then what? Well, after you notice the emotion, often times you don’t need to do anything. It will dissipate quickly just by acknowledging it. If it remains, then think about what the situation is that has you reacting the way you are reacting. For instance, if you’re not in the best emotional state to make a decision, you’ll be prone to being led by anger, fear, or jealousy. When it comes time to make a decision and you’re not in the right headspace to do so, give yourself a moment to regather your thoughts. Take a deep breath in, count to ten, then focus on the decisions that you have to make. This quick exercise in clarity allows us to engage our prefrontal cortex so that we can make the best possible decision. 2. Don’t focus on past failures and success Mistakes and achievements are something that most of us have to deal with on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean that we should let that deter us from making a decision. If you focus on your failures, you will be too afraid to take a risk. Leaders make decisions even when they are worried about making a mistake. This is the definition of courage. “Courage is not a virtue or value among other personal values like love or fidelity. It is the foundation that underlies and gives reality to all other virtues and personal values. Without courage our love pales into mere dependency. Without Courage our fidelity becomes conformism. The word courage comes from the same stem as the French word couer, meaning “heart”. Thus just as one’s heart, by pumping blood to one’s arms, legs, and brain enables all the other physical organs to function, so courage makes possible all the psychological virtues. Without courage other values wither away into mere facsimiles of virtue.” ~ Rollo May On the other hand, if you focus solely on your successes in the past, you will start to overreach, which may lead to a harsh reality check. You need to see your achievements and failures as lessons but not a guarantee of future outcomes; think about what you did wrong and what you did right in previous decisions and combine those elements together in your next decision. 3. Always cross-examine your data Decisions should be made based on research and empirical data as much as possible. This necessitates reliable sources of information. Be diligent in examining your information sources. Always cross-reference your data with multiple sources. You need to keep an open and unbiased mind to ensure that you always have the most accurate and up-to-date information. If your decision is based on faulty data, it will lead to inefficiency and complications, so it’s better to get it right the first time that to regret when it’s all said and done. 4. Take feedback but cut out the noise Humans are social creatures, which means that we base most of our decisions, thoughts, and feelings on those around us. While this has its merits when it comes to team building and collaboration, we must keep in mind that people have their own agendas and opinions that may not be the best for the group as a whole. The best strategy for uncovering any personal preferences and biases is to ask a lot of open-ended questions. Keep asking “What” and “Why” questions until you’ve fully understood the various perspectives. This doesn’t mean that you should disregard getting feedbacks and evaluations from other team members, but you should make sure that what they're suggesting is actually for the good of the group. 5. Trust yourself When we have to make a big decision, it’s understandable that we might be anxious or even scared about the consequences of our actions. Yet, it doesn’t mean that you should reverse your decision as soon as something starts to go wrong. Therefore, you need to stick to your decision and make adjustments along the way rather than turning back on your words and your promises at the first sign of failure. A good leader doesn’t fear failure as much as they fear the lack of opportunities to grow and learn from both good and unfortunate decisions. The key here is to work hard at acknowledging your emotions so that they don’t cloud your judgment. Here’s the thing: we tend to know what to do and what decision to make. Trust yourself and make it! Did you find this article valuable? Don't miss our weekly insights on transformational leadership and building exceptional cultures. Subscribe to Elevate Your Culture  - our Monday morning newsletter delivering actionable leadership strategies directly to your inbox. Subscribe Now Join leaders across industries who start their week with clarity, purpose, and practical tools to unlock potential in themselves and their teams. No time for another newsletter? Follow us on LinkedIn  for bite-sized leadership wisdom throughout the week.