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Becoming a disciplined leader takes hard work. Say goodbye to the bad habits and create healthy habits that will support you in your leadership roles.
Are you ready?
Here are seven habits of a disciplined leader.
1. They practice self-care
The first habit of a disciplined leader is the habit of self-care. This isn’t a call to be selfish. This is a call to make sure you and your body are in optimal condition.
Disciplined leaders know they have to do some things to make sure they’re the best that they can be. To practice the habit of self-care, a leader must:
Basically, self-care means you take care of your body and mind. You don’t do drugs, drink alcohol in excess or over-indulge. You also make sure you’re putting good things into your body and mind.
Find ways to take care of your body and mind and they will take care of you.
2. They respect their time and the times of others
Disciplined leaders know their time is valuable. They also know the time of others are valuable and they respect this.
These leaders show up on time. They respect the time-limits others have. And they make wise decisions in how to spend their time.
If you’re late for meetings, stop being late. If you don’t plan out your day, begin to plan it out. Or if you find yourself working too much or too little, change it.
Your time is valuable. You need to make sure you’re making it a habit to examine how you’re spending your time throughout the day.
3. They master their thoughts
Your thought-life can be one of the most damaging or the most beneficial things we do. For me, I struggle with positive thoughts. I can easily see the downside without seeing the upside.
But disciplined leaders know that their thoughts impact how they experience their days, weeks and years. So, they take captive their thoughts. They place boundaries around the negative inputs they consume. They choose to see the positive side of a negative situation. And they won’t let others manipulate their thought-life.
Begin to reign in your thoughts. Take captive the thoughts that shout you’re not good enough or don’t have what it takes. Replace those thoughts with words of affirmation.
4. They focus on what is important
Your life can be so scattered and piecemeal you don’t know what’s coming up next. Disciplined leaders do their best to avoid this.
They know they can’t be productive if they don’t have a focus on what’s to come. So they plan out their day, they know what needs to get done and what doesn’t, and they focus on the important activities.
Look at your calendar. See what needs to be done and what doesn’t need to be accomplished. Then tackle those important tasks.
5. They communicate clearly
You don’t get things done by communicating ineffectively. The most disciplined leaders know they have to be clear and concise in the way they communicate.
When you don’t communicate clearly, you set yourself and your team up for failure. The most disciplined leaders know the key to effective leadership is to be clear in their communication.
They speak only what needs to be said and in a way that gets their point across.
Find ways to communicate clearly. Use your effective communication skills to lead well.
6. They are committed
You don’t get to become a disciplined leader without being a committed leader. As you begin to commit and follow through with your promises, you build discipline.
This happens because sometimes you will commit to doing something and you really don’t want to do it. By following through and completing what you said you would do, you tell yourself you can do the undesirable things.
Be willing to commit and follow through with those commitments.
7. They reward themselves
This may seem out of place on the list of the habits of disciplined leaders, but it is a critical habit of those disciplined leaders. When you work toward becoming more disciplined, you will struggle to continue on the path. It’s not an easy or pleasant path all of the time. This is why those who are successfully disciplined know they have to reward themselves.
Whether it is a chocolate dessert or extra special time with your spouse, disciplined leaders find a way to reward themselves as they work on their habits. This reinforces the fact that what they’re doing is good and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
As you work toward becoming more disciplined in your habits, don’t neglect the idea of rewarding yourself. You need to treat yourself to little bonuses along the way or else you’ll get burned out and discouraged.
These are just some of the habits of disciplined leaders. There are many more you’ll discover as you continue your leadership journey.
Photo source: istock
 | Joseph Lalonde is an award-winning leadership blogger and hosted the Answers From Leadership podcast. He desires to see 20-somethings step into their God-ordained roles as leaders. Previously, on the E3 staff and currently serving in the Catalyst youth ministry of Gateway Church, Joseph has mentored many students and has seen their lives changed through this teaching. His mission is to help equip leaders with the knowledge and information to boost their leadership to the next level. This article was first published on JMLalonde.com. Used with permission Learn More » |
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