To motivate your team to achieve the highest levels of performance (and create an extraordinary organization in the process), here are the qualities you should model every day.

  1. Decisiveness
    All leaders must make tough decisions. They understand that in certain situations, difficult and timely decisions must be made in the best interests of the entire organization, decisions that require firmness, authority, and finality that will not please everyone. Extraordinary leaders don't hesitate in such situations. They also know when not to act unilaterally but instead foster collaborative decision-making.

  2. Honesty
    Strong leaders treat people the way they want to be treated. They are extremely ethical and believe that honesty, effort, and reliability form the foundation of success. They embody these values so overtly that no employee doubts their integrity for a minute. They share information openly and avoid spin control.

  3. Optimism
    The very best leaders are a source of positive energy. They communicate easily. They are intrinsically helpful and genuinely concerned for other people's welfare. They always seem to have a solution, and always know what to say to inspire and reassure. They avoid personal criticism and pessimistic thinking and look for ways to gain consensus and get people to work together efficiently and effectively as a team.

  4. Accountability
    Extraordinary leaders take responsibility for everyone's performance, including their own. They follow up on all outstanding issues, check in on employees, and monitor the effectiveness of company policies and procedures. When things are going well, they praise. When problems arise, they identify them quickly, seek solutions, and get things back on track.

  5. Confidence
    The confidence of the great leader is contiguous. They do not keep their confidence to themselves, they often spread their confidence to the team. Employees are naturally drawn to them, seek their advice, and feel more confident as a result.

Put it all together, and what emerges is a picture of the truly inspiring leader: someone who communicates clearly, concisely, and often, and by doing so motivates everyone to give his or her best all the time.

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