Leading with Habits: Why Identity Matters
Leadership is not just a matter of what you do, but who you are. It is also an active and personal skill that requires consistent effort and the right mindset. I am increasingly convinced that to become an effective leader, it's essential to think of leadership as an identity. This will enable you to unlock the resourceful habits you need to be truly impactful. In other words, leadership is not just something you do, but something you become.
This perspective is supported by the work of James Clear, author of the bestselling book "Atomic Habits." Clear argues that habits are not just behaviours, but are deeply rooted in our identity. By focusing on the identity-level changes necessary for effective leadership, we can create lasting habits that help us become the leaders we aspire to be.
However, developing effective leadership habits can be a challenge. It requires self-awareness, continuous learning, and intentional action. In this article, we'll explore the importance of thinking of leadership as a habit, and provide practical steps to help you develop the personal skill and mindset of effective leadership.
Why Leadership is a Matter of Identity
Remember that effective leadership is not just about what you do, but who you are. And leadership is highly personal.
While many leaders will focus on similar skills and capabilities, how they bring these to life every day will be dependent on who they are and what is important to them. This will be dictated to their own beliefs about leadership. And we know that beliefs and experiences are personal to each individual.
A key element of being a great leaders is developing a clear sense of your leadership identity. This will define who you want to be as a leader, how you show up every day and how you want others to experience you. This identity should be steeped your values, strengths, and goals.
If leadership is about the positional and not the person, it will be difficult to be the inspiring leader you want to be. In place of an outward facing strategic focus you will be locked to an internal singular focal point from which it will tough to motivate and inspire others. An meaningful leadership identity will focus you on how you will lead those who do the work. It’s about you, but it’s about you in relation to the people who work with you.
And by defining your leadership identity, you can create a foundation for developing effective leadership habits.
Developing Effective Leadership Habits
Habits, like leadership, are also personal. And habits are directly linked to your identity. Depending on how you’re defined your leadership identity, some leadership actions will become positive habits.
In broad strokes there are some habits that highly successful leaders employ:
Practicing Self-Awareness:
Regularly reflecting on their actions, behaviours, and mindset. Identifying areas for improvement and actively work to develop new habits.
Developing a Growth Mindset:
Embracing the idea that they can improve and grow as a leader. Seeking out feedback, learning from failures, and focusing on continuous improvement.
Leading by Example:
Modelling the behaviours and habits they want to see in others. Afterall, actions speak louder than words, so they make sure they’re setting a positive example.
Fostering a Positive Culture:
Encouraging their team by providing support, resources, and recognition for their efforts. Creating an environments in which each individual is valued and the psychological safety is reinforced.
Some of the habits may be easier to develop based on your leadership identity and some may be more challenging for you.
The Challenge of Developing Effective Leadership Habits
Developing effective leadership habits can be a challenge because it requires personal growth and self-discipline. It's not just about learning new skills, but developing a new mindset and way of being. It requires a commitment to continuous learning, self-awareness, and intentional action.
With the rapid pace of business these days, it’s easy to get caught up in the business of daily operations. When your diary is full of back-to-back meetings you will not have the time, or the energy, to consider continuous learning or to deepen your self-awareness with reflection and feedback.
The challenge here is that the short-term pressure of the business can reduce your focus on constantly developing and evolving as a leader. And while this may not matter much in 1 or 2 weeks, over a year this will leave you significantly behind where you wanted to be as a leader.
The Benefits of Developing Effective Leadership Habits
Despite the challenges, developing effective leadership habits is essential for personal and organizational success.
As in any part of life, creating positive habits helps you forward. Once an activity reaches the definition of a habit, it becomes something that is automatic and you reduce the possibility of backsliding. A habit is most often defined as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”. If an activity is a habit, it will occur naturally without your actively deciding to do it, or not to do it.
When you develop effective habits, you become more consistent, intentional, and successful as a leader. You can create a culture of excellence that encourages others to develop effective habits as well. Ultimately, developing effective leadership habits can lead to better outcomes for yourself, your team, and your organization.
Here are some practical examples of leadership habits:
Active listening:
Listening is a critical leadership skill. Make it a habit to listen actively by focusing on what others are saying, maintaining eye contact, and avoiding distractions.
Prioritizing tasks:
As a leader, it's important to prioritize tasks and delegate them to the appropriate team members. Make it a habit to review your task list daily, and prioritize the most important ones.
Providing & Seeking feedback:
Regular feedback is essential for team growth and development. Make it a habit to provide constructive feedback to your team members, highlighting areas of strength and identifying opportunities for improvement.
Effective leaders also seek feedback to spur on their own growth and development. A positive by-product is an increase in psychological safety in the organisation where feedback is seen as positive and safe rather than negative and unsafe
Encouraging creativity:
As a leader, it's important to encourage creativity and innovation among team members. Make it a habit to set aside time for brainstorming sessions and encourage your team to come up with new ideas.
Ask your team questions about what they learned from a conversation, a meeting or a project. Be curious about their perspectives. Share what you learned. Remember that learning can only really occur through recall and reflection and this build new neural pathways that can drive innovation and creativity
Leading by example:
Leaders who lead by example inspire their team members to follow suit. Make it a habit to model the behaviors and values you want to see in your team.
Celebrating successes:
Celebrating successes, both big and small, is an important habit of great leaders. Make it a habit to recognize and celebrate your team's achievements, which will motivate and encourage them to keep striving for success.
And remember that failures need to be celebrated too. This will minimise the fear that your teams might have about any stigma attached to failing. Failure in most businesses is not often fatal, but failing to learn certainly is
Continuous learning:
Great leaders are committed to continuous learning and self-improvement. Make it a habit to read books, attend seminars, and seek out mentorship to continue your personal and professional growth.
These are just a few examples of leadership habits that can make a significant impact on your leadership journey. Remember, leadership is an active and personal skill and mindset, and developing strong leadership habits takes practice and commitment.
In conclusion, leadership is an active and personal skill that requires consistent effort and mindset.
By thinking of leadership as a habit, and taking intentional action to develop effective leadership habits, you can become the leader you aspire to be.
It's not just about what you do, but who you are.
So, start developing effective leadership habits today, and watch as your personal and organisational success soar.
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