This is a critical trait in high performers and often demonstrated in an individual’s personal life, with more visible examples obvious (perhaps through sports, routines and personal interests, however it is critical in our leaders for a number of reasons explored below:
As leaders we are constantly required to observe, assess and take decisive action, however those who lack personal discipline may in fact adversely affect others, with a tendency to make ill-thought through decisions, be quick to act without considering consequences, lacking the discipline to check facts, pause and reflect, listen and seek other’s opinions. This may extend to role-modelling poor behaviours, with a lack of routine or consistency or discipline in approach and, or follow through, actions and communication.
Leaders who display discipline will do so in a number of ways, with positive effect, including the following key areas, which we know are critical to employees and those they coach, mentor and lead:
• Trait: Calm, Consistent and Approachable Leadership:
Those who can pause, listen and consider before speaking or acting.
The Impact:
Your people know who you are, how you react, approach challenges and work towards solutions. They therefore feel safe to engage, communicate and are not fearful of doing so, even where mistakes and learnings are taking place. This type of leader builds trust and respect.
• Trait: Accountability, Humility & Ownership:
Self-discipline enables you as a leader to remain engaged, accountable and own what your team does or does not deliver and to ensure you are across the areas you need to be, have communication and check-ins for the areas that others are driving and know when to step in and support, guide, coach or in fact change direction. Being adaptable, resilient and humble enough to acknowledge when you get something wrong and there to support your team when things to do not go to plan is key.
The Impact:
High trust from your people, great coaching moments, positive role-modelling and a culture of resilience, adaptability and success, with high performance most likely to breed in this environment, with people feeling safe and able to do their best work.
• Trait : Focus and Prioritisation
The Impact:
Self-discipline allows leaders to prioritise, self-manage and keep themselves and others focused on key outcomes, without the temptation to become deterred and distracted. This includes ‘doing what you say you will do!’ If you want your people to deliver on time and have strong follow through then this is key.
How can you further develop your Self-Discipline in Leadership?
1. Clearly communicate your expectations, goals and milestones and key areas of accountability:
Then allow people the freedom to do their best work and achieve these, with agreed communication points and check-in times and how you will celebrate milestones achieved.
2. Develop Personal Routines & Positive Habits:
The more we practice something and build routine around it the sooner this becomes a habit and self-discipline starts with a desire to improve/ make a change and then executing with repetition until we master this and it becomes habitual.
3. Become More Self-Aware:
Understand your strengths, growth areas and seek feedback to better understand where and how you can enhance this skillset, with heightened awareness ironically the starting point, if you are already thinking about this then you will be more mindful about how you are engaging, communicating and role modelling behaviours.
4. Regularly seek feedback:
Coaching and support for yourself as a leader, to continue learning, growing, personal challenge/ stretch and refuel your own tank along the way.
The Takeaways:
Self-discipline is hard and necessary for any growth journey. Leading people is hard! Creating new habits, awareness and embedding these (through the practice of consistency and self-discipline) is what distinguishes the best leaders and highest achievers.
‘Be the 1%… be your best self and challenge yourself to empower others’
