In part one of this article series we examined 4 bad leadership habits that will deteriorate your leadership. Using the metaphor of a garden, I said that before we could plant good leadership seeds we needed to rip out the weeds first. We’ve done that. We saw in part one how the habits of indecision, control, playing red light/green light, and a failure to remember and follow through can all ruin a leader. Now, we’re ready to look at 4 new habits that will lead to increases in employee morale, greater mission buy-in and overall success in your leadership.

Good Habit #1 â€" Keep Your Eyes Fresh

A couple months ago I attended a day-long seminar on food safety. During the seminar we learned things about safe cooking temperatures, appropriate hand washing techniques and what to do if someone reports a food related problem. We even learned that 30% of the United States population has staphylococcus. Just think about how many hands you shook today. Gross!

Amidst the discussion of parasites and bacteria, the classroom instructor gave us one very interesting suggestion. He recommended that we periodically bring in an outside food safety inspector to point out safety issues in our stores. The concept is because we operate in the store everyday, it can be very easy for us to overlook things. In effect, we become ‘store blind.’ Bringing in an outside party, the instructor told us, is like bringing in ‘fresh eyes.’

As a leader, keeping your eyes fresh is extremely important. Fresh eyes enable us to see things that need to improve and change. Fresh eyes notice the difference between employees who are surviving and those who are thriving. Fresh eyes catch a glimpse of the minute things that can be the difference between an organization, product, or new initiative either growing up or blowing up.

Our natural tendency will be to overlook things because of the tyranny of urgent daily tasks. And if we are not careful we will begin to ignore small leaks in the dam, ultimately exposing those things that lead to trouble. Good leaders don’t go blind. They look at things from different perspectives. They get feedback and opinions from people not directly involved.

Good leaders keep their eyes fresh.

Good Habits #2 â€" Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

With so many advances in technology you might think that nothing will ever slip through the cracks. Especially considering the connectedness of people equipped with email, cell phones, laptops, and text messaging devices. Blackberry and Bluetooth are more than just colorful names; they are products that a high percentage of businesses rely on to keep things running. And yet, communication doesn’t always happen.

Every man who has spent significant time with a woman knows that if there is one word women love it is the word ‘communicate.’ Women around the world routinely wish the men in their lives would communicate their thoughts and feelings and dreams and frustrations to them. Women are not, as a general rule, noisy (even though it may seem like that sometimes), they just want to know what’s going on inside their man’s cranium so they can feel safe and included and valued.

The same is true for the people you led. They want to feel safe, included and valued as well. And for that to happen leaders must communicate clearly and often with those they lead. When this happens people will feel safe even as the truth about their job expectation’s and their future position with the company is made clear to them. People will feel included when the organizations goals are announced and compelling new visions are cast for the future. Finally, people will feel valued when their input is summoned, and when leaders give positive, constructive feedback on their job performance.

Communicate, communicate, communicate. Do it in person. Do it by email. Do it with a bulletin board. Do it on a blog. Do it in meetings. Do it with notes and cards. Do it however you can. Take 5 minutes a day. Thirty minutes a week. One weekend every year. Just do it. And you will see people thrive in an environment where they feel safe, included and valued. Are you hearing me? Am I making sense?

Good leaders know the value of communication and so they make sure they succeed in doing it well.

Good Habit #3 â€" Serve Your People
I had only been on the job a couple months when the issues started to arise. There was nothing major; it was more like a small storm that had been brewing for awhile and finally decided to drop a little rain. The issues were common to those of all relationships and changes in the workplace. Mainly though, the issue was about me.

To spare you the details let me just say this. I entered a management level position and sort of forgot what servant leadership was. Honestly, it wasn’t an intentional decision. I didn’t plan on spending all my time at the desk and pawning off the more lowly jobs to others. But that is what I did, and some of the people I was supposed to be leading were not happy about it. I thought I was really starting to lead well, but those I was leading thought I was putting them through…anyway, you get the point.

There is a wonderful story in the Bible about servant leadership. It is in Mark 10 and it is the story of two brothers who both want to be very important and very powerful. They come up to their teacher Jesus and ask him if it would be possible for them to sit on little thrones next to his big one in heaven someday. Jesus must have had to resist the urge to punch these two brothers for such an arrogant request. Then he says to them, ‘Whoever desires to be the greatest has to become the least.’ In essence, Jesus is telling them if they want to be good, impacting, successful leaders they must learn how to be a servant of others.

In my business this means I have to spend some of my time washing dishes, wiping down tables and sweeping the floor. I have to make sure that my employees are comfortable with me not only as their boss, but also as an encourager and friend. Of course I won’t always make them happy, and of course I have to spend more time on other tasks that normal employees do not do, but regardless of all else, I have to be a leader who serves. And so do you. To be great you must become less.

Good leaders occasionally get their hands dirty serving those they lead.

Good Habit #4 â€" Empower Your People

Do you remember the first time your Dad asked you to help him with fix something out in the garage? Or maybe it was Grandpa who called you a strong young man after he paid you $20 for shoveling his driveway? Possibly it was a teacher at school who believed in you enough to let you lead the rest of your kindergarten class down the hallway to lunch? Maybe it was a coach who called you to perform at a level you didn’t think you had in you?

Each of these examples has something in common. They are all situations where a leader empowers people to succeed. Empowerment is a hallmark of good leaders.

I believe that most people want to achieve with their lives. Tough defining achievement looks and sounds different for everyone, when it comes right down to it, at the end of the day, most people are the same. The want to feel like their lives has meaning. They want to feel like they have done something that matters. They want to be set free to chase dreams, accomplish feats and overcome challenges. And leaders have the amazing ability to empower people to make these innate yearnings a reality.

Empowerment comes when leaders let go of some things and make space for those they lead to take over. True, this can bring minor loss or short term problems to an organization. All empowerment includes risk; risk that those being empowered will fail or quit the task or mess up. But not empowering people is equally risky; there is the risk that people will quit the company, or that innovation and profits will never be tapped into and reaped. Empowerment sets people free to fly, and in so doing, they make everything around them better.

Good leaders empower their people not only for the individual’s sake, but because they know that in the long run the entire organization benefits.

Habits Will Happen

Now your leadership garden has been weeded and replanted. Which means it is up to you to make a choice as to what will happen next. You can practice good leadership habits and harvest the positive fruit of your leadership, or you can allow bad leadership habits to reappear and destroy your leadership influence. Habits will happen. It is inevitable. It is up to you to decide what kind of leadership repertoire you will cultivate.

Lead well.

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