For many years, I commuted into the city for work. The commute ranged from 45 to 90 minutes each way. Coming home was always the worst. Often, I would arrive home without recognizing the route I had taken, lost in my thoughts, listening to a podcast or audiobook. The driving part was automatic, almost zombie-like. It was a little scary, so I started experimenting with my routes home. One day, I found a route that took me through beautiful parts of the city and took the same amount of time. This forced change in routine opened my eyes to different ways to tackle my drive home and brought me more joy.

The morale of this story is that even our most automatic routines can benefit from intentional adjustments. By reevaluating and modifying our habits, we can find new and more fulfilling ways to achieve our goals. In leadership, establishing and refining automatic habits can enhance our effectiveness and satisfaction. Oh, I even started taking the train on some days to mix it up even though it took longer. It gave me different perspective of life!

Apply: Strategies to Automate Great Leadership

Practice: Reflective Exercises to Enhance Leadership

Learn: Insights on Using Your Calendar to Support Leadership Habits

Apply: Strategies to Automate Great Leadership

Understand the Power of Habits:

• Wearing Clean Clothes: Make supporting your team a daily habit.

• Brushing Your Teeth: Provide regular feedback to maintain a healthy team dynamic.

• Finding Time for Fun: Schedule team-building activities to foster a positive environment.

• Working Hard: Demonstrate dedication to inspire your team.

• Showering: Continually renew your vision and strategies.

• Playing: Incorporate play to foster creativity and reduce stress.

Foster Automatic Leadership:

1. Embrace Routine and Systems:

   • Establish daily routines for essential leadership tasks.

   • Develop systems to prioritize these tasks consistently.

2. Utilize Your Calendar:

   • Schedule regular coaching sessions, feedback times, and team-building activities.

   • Use your calendar to make leadership tasks non-negotiable.

3. Lead by Example:

   • Showcase integrity and dedication in your leadership roles.

   • Demonstrate how these routines contribute to team success.

Practice: Reflective Exercises to Enhance Leadership

Weekly Focus:

• Select one leadership habit to focus on each week, such as active listening or delegation.

Team-Building Activities:

• Organize workshops and exercises that emphasize automatic leadership habits.

Questions to Reflect On:

• What automatic routines in your daily leadership can benefit from a fresh perspective?

• How can you use your calendar to ensure essential leadership tasks become non-negotiable habits?

In what ways can you experiment with your leadership routines to bring more joy and effectiveness to your role

Learn: Insights on Using Your Calendar to Support Leadership Habits

The Power of Recurring Events:

• Incorporate recurring events in your calendar to establish and maintain good leadership habits:

  • Daily Reflections: Set aside time each day for self-reflection.

  • Regular Coaching Sessions: Block out weekly time for one-on-one coaching.

  • Feedback Fridays: Dedicate time each week for providing feedback.

  • Team-Building Activities: Plan regular exercises and social events.

  • Vision Refreshers: Schedule quarterly reviews to align goals and strategies.

The Impact of Consistency:

• Consistency in leadership is key. Regular calendar events create a stable framework supporting ongoing improvement and team development.

Conclusion

High-performance leaders don't question whether they should do certain things. It's as automatic as wearing clean clothes, brushing your teeth, and working hard. By creating patterns, routines, and systems, you can express your leadership qualities consistently. Make these habits non-negotiable, and watch your leadership effectiveness soar.

P.S. If you’re enjoying this newsletter, I would be honored if you share it with others. Your referrals make a significant impact. Thank you!

Until next time,
Roger M. Thompson

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