19 Leadership Lessons I’ve Learned from 19 Years of Leading People
As we close out 2019, here are 19 leadership lessons I’ve learned over the past 19 years, leading people in various lines of business across our great country. Some of these I learned the hard way, some of these I learned from watching other leaders, others were passed along to me from wise, dynamic leaders, and others are simply the right thing to do.
I don’t share these 19 lessons because I’m perfect or even put them into practice 100% of the time. I simply share these from a place of love, encouragement, and old-fashioned hospitality.
Whether you’re just starting out on your leadership journey, or if you’ve been leading people for years, I’m confident these 19 thoughts will help you enjoy your life and enhance the lives of others.
And that’s reason enough to share them with you, to close out 2019 with love and hospitality.
- Listen to your team, your customers, your own leaders, and your own intuition
- Educate others, and share what you have learned
- Activity combined with intention yields productivity
- Deliver on your promises and most importantly, deliver on your team’s expectations
- Wake up grateful every single day; it could always be worse
- Invest time in quality conversations, make connections, and build personal relationships
- Today is the day. You’ll never be younger than you are right now, so be bold and take risks
- Have empathy; seek to understand how people feel so you can meet them where they are
- Hope for the future and be a ray of hope for those you lead
- Open yourself up to receive the gift of companionship, mentorship, and trusting relationships
- Serve people every chance you get
- Purpose is the one thing which will keep you and others motivated and inspired in the face of all adversity; so find your purpose, help others find theirs, and connect everyone’s role to the organization’s overarching purpose
- Integrity is more important and attractive than becoming important; Integrity is the attraction
- Take personal accountability, and go first; doing the right thing is never the wrong thing
- Accept who you are, accept others for who they are, and accept organizational realities; you’ll not only find more joy in your own life, you’ll bring joy to other people along the way
- Love always has been and will always be the most powerful weapon in any adverse situation
- Inspire others and look for ways to become inspired yourself
- Temper your passion with patience, humility, and grit. MTXE-Mental Toughness, eXtra Effort
- You are one of a kind; find out what makes you, you, and lean into your strengths everyday
If you take a close look at the first letter in each of the 19 thoughts listed above, it sums up how to live an inspired, happy life which inspires other people to do the same:
L
E
A
D
W
I
T
H
H
O
S
P
I
T
A
L
I
T
Y
Happy New Year. I wish you love and luck in 2020.
Taylor
