59 Tips to Unleash the Elite Leader Already Inside You

Leadership is hard, but it’s worth it.

I want you to embrace a growth mindset and know you can always get better at leading. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never led before or if you’ve led for years. You can always learn and improve. Start where you’re at. Start now!

It’s been said you don’t become a leader until you produce another leader. This free leadership guide will help you produce lots of new leaders. You’ll quickly learn 59 tips to unleash the elite leader already inside you.

Are you ready? Let’s get started.

1. Leadership is influence. Build your influence every day by making a positive impact.
2. You can’t give what you don’t have, so make sure you’re always learning new things.
3. You control your attitude. Choose to see the world through a positive lens.
4. Vulnerability creates strong relationships. As a leader, you have to go first.
5. You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility. Own your situation.
6. Great leaders have BIG vision. Make sure your team knows what the future looks like.
7. Don’t just show up. Anyone can do that. Show up prepared.
8. Remember your identity. Though your career is important, it doesn’t define you.
9. Steward your time and team members well.
10. Schedule time to think. Everything in creation starts with a thought.
11. Focus on your emotional intelligence more than your mental intelligence.
12. Never quit, right? Wrong. There are times you need to quit certain habits or tasks.
13. Get a PhD. Move forward with a mentality of someone who is poor, hungry, and driven.
14. Develop a decision-making framework and use it often.
15. Give your team stability through your leadership. It’s what they need and want.
16. Don’t gossip. Ever. Talking behind someone’s back is for small-minded people.
17. Realize that leadership is messy. Be willing to get in the mess with your team members.
18. Words A lot. Speak words of life and encouragement to your team.
19. Give way more than you take. Be generous.
20. Practice forgiveness. Ask others to forgive you, and forgive others quickly.
21. Earn respect by always doing “the next right thing” with your team’s interest at heart.
22. Defeat The Imposter who wants you to think you’re a fraud. You’re not.
23. Surround yourself with wise counsel, not with people who tell you only what you want to hear.
24. You’re creative, so use your creativity to improve your world and help those in it.
25. Learn the 20% of your work that gives you 80% of your results.
26. Don’t think of yourself as much. Think of others more. This is humility.
27. Live a values-centered life so you always operate with defined standards of excellence.
28. Practice great habits. Your habits today become your life tomorrow.
29. Build relationships with people. Leadership is about real connection with others.
30. Actively listen. Don’t worry about what you need to say. That comes later.
31. Be curious before judging. This prevents you from jumping to inaccurate conclusions.
32. Don’t run away from difficult conversations. Run toward them.
33. You need a point-of-difference. What separates your leadership from others?
34. Bring the energy. Your team will feed off it.
35. Maintain a healthy perspective by choosing to see the upside instead of the downside.
36. Focus on excellence. Perfection isn’t attainable. Don’t waste time pursuing it.
37. Failing and learning are the same thing if your response to both is thoughtful.
38. Knowledge is data. Wisdom is the proper application of knowledge. Pursue wisdom.
39. You get to choose between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. It’s an easy choice.
40. Allow someone to have full access to every area of your life. It’s called accountability.
41. Provide quality feedback in the moment. When the moment is gone, it’s too late.
42. Keep a scoreboard. Top performers always know where they stand.
43. Circumstances change all the time. Be adaptable.
44. Culture is everything and everything is culture. Make it great.
45. Know yourself, including your weaknesses. Your team already knows them anyway.
46. Be a promise maker and a promise keeper. Your word is really all you have.
47. Be great at your work. Add more skills. Competence is essential.
48. Don’t listen to yourself. Instead, talk to yourself with tremendous positivity.
49. Take care of your mental health. It’s brave and noble to get help.
50. Always add value to people. Life isn’t about you.
51. Get results. Activity and achievement are not the same thing.
52. Live a disciplined Vance Havner said, “The alternative to discipline is disaster.”
53. Learn to negotiate. The ultimate trump card is the ability to walk away.
54. Fire a team member with class. Give them respect and dignity in the process.
55. Set goals. Big goals. Then create a plan to achieve them. If not, you’re just dreaming.
56. Integrity is who you are when no one is looking. Make sure you’re okay with the answer.
57. The choices you make are critical. Make choices today you’ll be proud of tomorrow.
58. Show kindness to those under your care. It’s easy to do. It’s also easy not to do.
59. Your team wants clarity. Give it to them. Confusion is no fun.

If you start working on these tips now, your leadership will begin to improve immediately.

This process is a lot like planting a tree. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today!

Don’t begrudge not learning and applying these lessons sooner. You can start now.

Go ahead. Begin your journey of unleashing the great leader already inside of you.

You’ll be glad you did.

By John Vaughn, CMO, Fritz’s Adventure