- They practice self-care: The first habit of a disciplined leader is the habit of self-care. This isn’t a call to be selfish it is ensuring that you are at peak performance level and dealing with stress levels in a healthy way. To practice the habit of self-care, a leader should build regular habits of self-care including:
- Regularly exercise,
- Refreshing their mind with mental and stress relieving activities such as sport and outdoor activities,
- Reduce poor eating habits
- They respect their time and the times of others: Disciplined leaders know their time is valuable. They also know the time of others are valuable and they respect this. These leaders:
- Show up on time.
- Show respect for the time constraints of others
- Save time through improving efficiencies of systems and time management. They make wise decisions in how to spend their time. They make a habit of being on time for meetings, planning out their day, begin to plan it out, and making time for the most important things first – They prioritise their time
- They master their thoughts: Our thought lives can be one of the most damaging or they can be some of the most beneficial things we do. People may easily see the downside without seeing the upside. But disciplined leaders know their thoughts impact how their days, weeks, and years go. So, they take control of their thoughts, place boundaries around the negative inputs they consume and they choose to see the positive side to a negative situation.
- They focus on what is important: Life can get crazy and leave you not knowing what’s coming up next. Disciplined leaders do their best to avoid this. They know they can’t be productive if they don’t have a focus on what’s to come. So they plan out their day, they know what needs to get done and what doesn’t, and they focus on the important activities.
- They communicate clearly: You don’t get things done with poor communication. The most disciplined leaders know they have to be clear and concise in the way they communicate. When you don’t communicate clearly, you set yourself and your team or company up for failure. The most disciplined leaders know the key to effective leadership is to be clear in their communication. They speak what needs to be said and in a way that gets people behind them and willing to be a part of the journey. The best communicators also are good listeners and are open to input from their staff. They also communicate what they all have to gain by working as a team and accomplishing the goals set out.
- They are committed: You don’t find effective leaders who are not highly committed. By committing to a process and achieving certain outcomes and follow through with your promises, you build discipline. This happens because sometimes you will commit to doing something and you really don’t want to do it. By following through and completing what you said you would do, you teach yourself you can do the things that aren’t pleasurable or are difficult to achieve. Be willing to commit and follow through with those commitments.
- They reward themselves. When leaders work towards becoming more disciplined, It’s often not an easy or pleasant path all of the time. This is why those who are successfully disciplined know they should also reward themselves and celebrate their wins. Whether it is a big or small personal treat, disciplined leaders find a way to reward themselves as they work on their habits. This reinforces the fact that what they’re doing is good and there is progression towards achieving their personal goals and improving their abilities. The rewards you allow yourself are important for you not to become complacent or discouraged and reinforces your habit building is rewarding and produces results.
