The Power of Being Your Best

The most important aspect you can bring to your leadership is to strive to be your best. That means setting high expectations and standards and refusing to accept anything less.

This same principle applies to you personally, your company, your team, and the products and services you represent.

When you accept nothing less than the best you become the kind of leader who focuses their energy—and the energy of others—on achieving their best.

Here are some ways to make sure you’re getting the best from yourself and your team:

Align with the best. In every situation and relationship—from service providers to component vendors—connect yourself with the best people producing the best products in the best organizations.

Bring real meaning to your mission and purpose. We all want to create something of significance. Remind your team how the work they’re doing connects to your mission and makes a difference in the world.

Show appreciation. Every opportunity is an opportunity for acknowledgement. The best leaders thank people for the quality of their work and their role in making a company, product, or project a success. Every time you thank someone, you are making them feel more valuable and more motivated.

Give freedom. Allow people the room to be free to make mistakes, to take chances, to set the standards higher than the status quo. Freedom fosters insight, thought, and action, and increases engagement and self-esteem.

Pay attention. No one is at their best when they are being ignored. If you expect those around you to act like a key player, make sure you’re treating them like one. Paying attention does not mean you take over. It means you listen, without interrupting, ready to learning something new.

Have a common cause. A clear vision and sense of direction can unite everyone around a common cause. A great goal brings people together.

Make service your central focus. In any organization, the core purpose is ultimately to be the best you can be for those you serve. A strong focus on service has the power to bring about great change.

It is not enough to think you are the best; you need to follow up with action to be the best.

As the leader of a business, an organization, or a team, you should be asking yourself these questions every day: How am I going to be my best? How am I going to leave people better than I found them?

Lead From Within: It’s the determination to be the best that makes us want to make a difference—which is usually the starting point of advancing to the top.

By Lolly Daskal