How Much Harder Must You Work To Be A Top-Notch Leader? The Answer is Surprising

How much harder would you have to work to be a top-notch leader?

50%? 25%? 10%?

Nope.

Just 1%, says one researcher. Then you can become a top-notch leader in your org – the manager whose name is synonymous with “engaging,” “awesome,” “epic” and “phenomenal.”

Top-Notch Leader in the Making

“There are no ‘irrefutable laws’ of leadership or power; there is no single secret,” says Andy Ellis, CEO of Duha and author of 1% Leadership: Master the Small, Daily Improvements that Set Great Leaders Apart. “{But} anyone, at any stage of their career, can continuously make tiny ‘1% at a time’ improvements.”

And that’s enough to get ahead and be the boss everyone wants to work for or wants to become.

Here are six areas of development where good leaders want to focus on 1% improvements, according to Ellis:

1. Keep the Future in Check

Great leaders are present with employees, listening, sharing and engaging in the moment. But you want to have an eye on the future.

“Worrying about failure will make success even more unlikely,” says Ellis. “Only by engaging in the present, with that worry set aside, can we find the path to success.”

1% better: If a negative outcome – essentially worry – enters your mind when planning for the future, turn it on its head and counter with another potential positive outcome.

2. Become More Self-Aware

Own your wrongs. Leaders need to be right about many things – such as following policies and procedures or training employees to do the job well. But you can grow and learn when you consider that you might be wrong – and accept that something or someone else is right.

“Accepting the possibility of being wrong also helps build relationships within teams,” says Ellis.

1% better: Add this phrase to your regular vocabulary, and use it when you encounter a difference of opinions: “I might be wrong, but …. What do you think about that?”

3. Stay Committed

One percent better is absolutely doable for a day, a week or a month. But sustained success at being a top-notch leader depends on a commitment that goes well beyond that.

“Strong leaders demonstrate that long-term wellness matters,” says Ellis.

1% better: Schedule 10 minutes each week to spend more time scheduling! Use the time to review tomorrow and next week’s goals and to-dos. Then add anything you’ll need to follow up on, improve or finalize for those items in three or four months.

4. Become More Perceptive

Top-notch leaders are seldom at odds with others. They recognize that their careers and success as a leader isn’t about a competition with winners (them) and losers (colleagues).

“It perpetuates negative energy that carries over into future engagements,” says Ellis. “Instead, flip the hero v. villain trope by looking at the situation from the perspective of the other person.”

1% better: Collaborate more. Ask one colleague or employee each week for insight or help on something you’d normally attack alone. And then offer to do the same for them.

5. Take Calculated Risks

We might think top-notch leaders are crazy risk-takers. In actuality, they’re more like conscientious MacGyvers. They set big goals, but they expect the unexpected. They often rely on a set of resources, processes and protocols that can be adapted to handle almost anything.

“Whether you jump out of an airplane or get pushed out, you still need a parachute,” Ellis jokes.

1% better: Look closer at an informal process that works well now. Document it and try using it in other situations so you have an adaptable process available to take on more calculated risks.

6. Empower Employees

Top-notch leaders develop their employees. They do more than teach employees to do a job. They encourage employees to approach their work as problem-solvers, and invite them to share perspectives on how to get the work done.

“Take valuable team members from irreplaceable to unclonable,” says Ellis. “This ensures that work remains ongoing and stimulates each team member to proactively solve problems.”

1% better: Stop when your immediate reaction to a question is to do the task for an employee or give instructions. Instead, ask employees if they think there’s a different or better way to accomplish something. If there is, give them the resources to make the changes.