Practices to grow leaders

- As a transformational leader, you want to inspire and bring out the best in others. Where do you start? Start with yourself, and make sure that you're practicing being at your best. Here are some ways to start with yourself. Find ways to combat stress. Research shows that getting the right exercise, sleep, eating healthy foods helps to reduce stress. What are your stress busters? Make a list of them and intentionally incorporate them into your day. Second, connect on a regular basis with what inspires you. It might be music, art, nature, hobbies, community connections, or family. Third, connect with your purpose statement, your values, your strengths, and dreams. Find a way to make this a routine. Fourth, become aware of what triggers you. You can go to a meeting and a colleague ticks you off. Your boss still hasn't come back to you about something important to you. We each have unique triggers that throw us off our game. Part of being a self-aware leader is to know what throws us off and what puts us in fight or flight mode, and actively work to reframe the thoughts that we have that throw us off. In the exercise file, Managing Your Triggers, you can learn more about how to become aware of your triggers and reframe your thinking. Fifth, pay attention to your own energy throughout the day. Proactively choose to keep yourself centered. As you notice yourself being depleted or triggered, find a quick few energizers to lift you up. Make a list of energizers that work for you. It might be a quick walk outside, a favorite piece of music, a few deep breaths, taking the time to stretch and really reset yourself. Now, let's turn to others. Here are some practices to bring out the best in your team. Catch someone doing something right. In each meeting, try to pick one thing that somebody did right, and let them know you noticed what they did well. Practice writing a note of appreciation for someone. In the exercise file, Appreciating Others, I show you how to write someone a genuine note of appreciation. You'll be surprised how it will build you up, as well as the other person. Practice listening deeply to others. In my executive coaching work, one of the biggest differences I make for clients is to listen to them with empathy and without judgment. Practice enrolling others to build a culture of strengths and appreciation on your team. You have a tremendous ability to impact the culture of your team. Be a role model for others, and ask them to join you in building a culture of trust in your team. Practice an authentic trust-building conversation. In the exercise file, Authentic Work Relationships, I share some ways to build more authentic relationships based on my book, "Wired for Authenticity." What are other practices that you think will work for you? Pick one and experiment with it. Better yet, find a colleague or a team that will support you in your practice, so together you can impact the culture of your organization in a much bigger way.