Leadership impacts everyone, whether steering an entire organization or navigating team dynamics. It’s an essential skill, yet it often feels elusive, even for experienced professionals. While every leadership challenge is unique, the core principles remain universal.
This episode breaks down eight critical leadership principles drawn from years of experience, hard lessons, conversations with seasoned experts, research, and coaching leaders at all levels. Plus, we share actionable strategies to help you refine your leadership, whether you’re guiding thousands or leading a small team.
We Discuss:
Principle #1: Don’t Worry About Leading, Worry About Listening
- When we think of leadership, we often imagine someone boldly charting a course, issuing directives, and rallying their team. While a leader must have a vision, the best leaders are not the loudest in the room; they are the ones who listen the best.
- In any industry—healthcare, service, or sports equipment—one of the top complaints about leadership is that leaders spend too much time speaking and not enough time understanding. Leadership isn’t about you; it’s about those you serve. Service starts with understanding, and understanding starts with listening—truly, deeply, and consistently.
- Listening in leadership isn’t merely letting someone vent while you nod and say, “mmm hmm.” Effective listening involves active engagement, including paraphrasing, asking follow-up questions, and creating a safe environment for sharing thoughts or concerns.
- A 2016 study by Zenger and Folkman found that the best leaders are those perceived as excellent listeners. Active listening builds trust, fosters understanding, and encourages open communication.
- A leader’s instinct might be to “fix” things immediately or jump to solutions. However, skipping the listening phase turns leadership into dictation, which fails to inspire or sustain genuine followership.
- Leaders who excel in listening motivate, inspire, and guide their teams more effectively by understanding their perspectives and priorities.
Principle #2: This is Not Your Dumpster Fire.
- On your first day as a leader, you’ll be bombarded with crises, each presented with a sense of urgency that demands immediate action. But not every emergency is yours to solve, and you don’t need to make someone else’s dumpster fire your own.
- While some issues genuinely require immediate attention, most are not as critical as they seem—or at least not as critical for you. Effective leadership involves determining which fires are yours to manage and which are better handled by others.
- This approach is not about dismissing concerns but about maintaining focus on responsibilities that fall squarely within your purview and require your expertise. It is important to preserve your bandwidth.
- Leaders who resist the urge to react impulsively and focus on strategic analysis can better address true priorities without getting lost in the noise.
What to Do When Someone Brings You Their Fire
- Pause and assess: Before reacting, ask yourself: “Is this really my responsibility?”
- Seek clarity: Gather detailed information about the issue. What’s happening? What caused it? What’s the current state? What solutions does the person bringing it to you propose? This ensures you’re informed and encourages your team to focus on solutions rather than dumping problems.
- Evaluate ownership: Determine whether the issue is truly yours to handle or should be addressed by someone else.
- Set boundaries: If people consistently offload their crises onto you, it may be time to establish clear, respectful boundaries.
Principle 3: Slow Your Roll
- Starting a leadership role can fill you with excitement and ideas, but rushing in too quickly can alienate the team and disrupt trust. Effective change begins by pacing yourself.
- Charging ahead with big changes might unintentionally alienate your team, especially if they don’t yet know or trust you. Change, even when positive, can feel disruptive without a strong foundation of trust.
- Trust is the currency of leadership. Without it, even the best ideas struggle to take hold. With it, people are more likely to embrace change, knowing you have their best interests at heart.
- Focus on listening more than speaking, seeking to understand before being understood, building relationships, and earning credibility through consistent and supportive actions.
- Understanding the “lay of the land” allows you to identify potential pitfalls and hidden strengths within the organization or team.
- Think like a ship’s captain. Navigating unfamiliar waters requires consulting charts and listening to crew members who know the tides. This approach ensures smoother sailing and fewer unexpected obstacles.
- Vision + Patience = Long-Term Success. Leadership is a marathon, not a sprint. By pacing yourself, earning trust, and building relationships first, your vision will have a greater impact on fertile ground, setting the stage for sustainable and meaningful change.
Principle #4: You Will Have to Be a Judge, Even When You Don’t Want to Be.
- As a leader, you are responsible for the organization as a whole but not for the actions of individuals. However, when someone’s behavior conflicts with organizational values or expectations, you may be forced to judge their actions.
- Leadership requires balancing fairness and accountability. While your job is to support your team, it is their responsibility to fulfill their roles effectively.
- In Stimulus Episode 29, Colonel Jim Czarnik, a physician and Army leader, shared his perspective on handling underperformance: “I am responsible for this organization. I am not responsible for your actions. But if you force me to judge your actions, I will, because you’ve put me in that position.”
- Addressing underperformance with clarity ensures accountability without overstepping. A framework for identifying gaps—whether in knowledge, resources, or choices—helps pinpoint where responsibility lies.
- As a leader, you set the tone for culture. Your actions, fairness, and approach to accountability play a vital role in maintaining the integrity and values of the team.
Principle #5: Model the Values.
- Your team observes your actions far more than your words, making what you do far more impactful than what you say. Modeling the values you expect from your team is one of the most effective tools in your leadership toolkit.
- When your team sees you living the same principles you ask of them, it strengthens trust and reinforces your credibility. It demonstrates that you’re not asking for anything you’re unwilling to do yourself.
- A common frustration arises when leaders hold their team to standards they don’t follow themselves—accountability, punctuality, or respect. This “rules for thee, but not for me” mindset is a trust killer and creates resentment and disengagement.
- By consistently embodying the values you promote, you eliminate hypocrisy and frustration. This aligns your actions with your expectations and fosters morale, cohesion, and mutual respect within the team.
- Leadership is not just about setting expectations but exemplifying them. When your behavior aligns with the standards you promote, you create a culture of accountability and trust that inspires others to follow suit.
Principle #6: With Behavioral Issues, Build the Pathway, Not Just the Expectation.
- Addressing behavioral issues requires more than vague directives or threats—it demands clear, actionable steps. Early, structured intervention can make all the difference in achieving meaningful change.
- Often, leaders tell someone, “You’re doing this thing, and you need to fix it,” without providing actionable guidance. This lack of specificity frequently leads to escalation, with formal actions like improvement plans or threats, by which point the situation may have deteriorated beyond repair.
- When dealing with behavioral or performance issues, get specific quickly. Provide a detailed road map for how they can succeed. If you’re unsure how to create this pathway, seek help.
- Not every individual will succeed. Some will resist change, convinced that the problem lies elsewhere. That’s okay—your role is to provide the opportunity for growth, not force it.
- For those who embrace the process, change can be transformative. It can rebuild trust, improve relationships, and even enhance personal fulfillment. However, simply saying “you need to change” rarely works. Leaders must focus on creating opportunities for success through structured pathways, offering support while leaving the ultimate responsibility with the individual.
Principle #7: You Don’t Know What You’re Doing—And That’s OK.
- Leadership doesn’t come with a comprehensive instruction manual, and no one feels fully prepared on their first day. Imposter syndrome is common, but it’s a sign of self-awareness and a desire to excel.
- No one is born a great leader—it’s something learned through experience, reflection, and growth. The best leaders are those who remain curious, adaptable, and willing to learn.
- Imposter syndrome is normal. Feeling like you’re out of your depth is not a weakness; it shows that you care about doing your best. Use that self-doubt as a motivator to seek guidance and improve.
- Even the most accomplished leaders faced their first challenges and mistakes. What sets them apart is their ability to approach uncertainty with humility and a mindset of continuous learning.
What to Do When You Feel Lost.
- Ask questions. Admit when you don’t know something and seek advice from mentors, colleagues, or organizational resources. This vulnerability fosters trust.
- Focus on listening. Paying close attention to your team’s input can provide valuable insights and strengthen relationships.
- Find your tribe. Surround yourself with people who’ve walked this path before. They can offer perspective, encouragement, and practical advice.
- Embrace mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, but they’re also growth opportunities. Each misstep offers valuable lessons to refine your approach and improve as a leader.
Principle #8: People Do Things for Their Reasons, Not Yours.
- True influence stems from uncovering others’ motivations and aligning them with shared goals. Leadership isn’t about imposing your vision but connecting it with what drives others.
- Effective leadership requires a thoughtful balance between three elements: ego, results, and relationships. Ego should be set aside to prioritize relationships and results.
- Leadership isn’t about pushing your agenda; it’s about aligning it with others’ motivations. When you take the time to understand what drives people, you transform reluctant compliance into genuine buy-in, fostering collaboration and long-term success.
