The Leader Habit

“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” – This book shows how you can learn leadership skills through habits and practice, not just theory.

1. Leadership is Learned, Not Inherited

For decades, people believed that great leaders were born, not made. Modern studies have disproven this, proving that leadership traits are mostly learned behaviors. In fact, about 70% of leadership skills can be built through deliberate practices and habits.

Those who struggle at leadership often lack awareness of their behaviors. For example, Laura, an emergency room nurse, failed to realize that her coworkers found her abrupt and argumentative. By practicing better communication, like asking open-ended questions, she transformed her relationships and work environment.

This evidence suggests that anyone, with the right methods, can improve their leadership skills. The emphasis on learned habits breaks the myth that great leaders are few and extraordinary – they are simply those who choose to practice and grow.

Examples

• A 1996 boom in leadership-focused literature reflects the belief that these skills can be taught.
• Laura’s success came after using reminders to practice engaging questions with colleagues.
• Studies link strong leadership traits to acquired, repetitive behaviors rather than genetics.

2. Leadership Development Starts Small

Think of leadership as learning to play an instrument. You don’t start with a concert-ready piece. Instead, you practice in small, manageable sections. Martin Lanik’s Leader Habit Formula follows the same principle, breaking leadership into fundamental, trainable microbehaviors.

Lanik identified 22 core leadership skills across two main categories: "Getting Things Done" and "Focusing on People." Each of these is further segmented into microbehaviors such as streamlining priorities or listening actively, allowing for gradual learning and building a natural flow.

This structured approach — tackling one microbehavior at a time — is called "chaining." It ensures that new skills are automatically linked together and deeply ingrained, creating natural leaders through steady, small changes.

Examples

• Planning involves dividing projects into tasks and setting clear priorities.
• A piano player refines their sonatas by isolating smaller sections to perfect first.
• Building 79 identified microbehaviors could lead to mastering a wide variety of leadership qualities.

3. Cues Create Leadership Habits

Cues, behaviors, and rewards are the foundation for building effective habits. The Leader Habit Formula ties these steps together, linking triggers (cues) with appropriate responses and reinforcing them through intrinsic or external rewards.

For instance, if you hear complaints at work, this becomes a cue to address concerns and truly understand the unstated needs behind the complaint. Such repetition and consistency ensure this behavior turns into an automatic habit.

Rewards are critical in sustaining habits. When tasks are intrinsically rewarding—meaning they align naturally with your personality—they tend to stick better. Tools like Lanik’s Leader Habit Quiz help uncover these.

Examples

• Complaining customers provide an opportunity to better understand and solve issues.
• Assigning team improvements as rewarding might align well with problem-solvers.
• Gym membership drop-offs highlight the difficulty of forming habits without cues.

4. Keystone Habits Accelerate Growth

Focusing on one “keystone habit” can positively influence connected areas of leadership behavior. Keystone habits serve as shortcuts that indirectly improve related skills.

A study of pizza delivery drivers revealed that encouraging seat belt use also increased turn-signal usage. This ripple effect shows how discipline developed in one area promotes responsibilities in others.

In leadership, adopting habits like improved decision-making can enhance associated skills, such as information analysis. A single impactful habit accelerates overall progress, paving the way for broader leadership improvements.

Examples

• Drivers who adopted seat belt use also improved other safety measures.
• A better decision-maker automatically becomes more effective at addressing risks.
• Leaders adopting keystone habits experience faster personal and professional growth.

5. Task-Oriented Behaviors Drive Efficiency

A leader must get things done effectively. Among the foundational task-oriented skills is "Plan and Organize Work," which clarifies responsibilities, sets deadlines, and ensures progress.

Microbehaviors like breaking down tasks, coordinating team deadlines, and defining clear roles help build this competence. When practiced, these habits lead to structured, deadline-driven team environments.

Solving problems and making decisions is another key area. Leaders who learn to identify common themes in issues can rapidly diagnose team inefficiencies and find efficient solutions.

Examples

• Teams working on new brochures efficiently after setting clear deadlines.
• Analyzing bullet points of a problem reveals the broader, less visible root issue.
• Organizing daily priorities ensures tasks remain manageable within time limits.

6. People-Oriented Behaviors Improve Team Dynamics

Leadership isn’t just about completing tasks; it’s also about understanding and inspiring people. Skills like persuasion, coaching, and building relationships are essential for creating cohesive and motivated teams.

To practice overcoming resistance, for example, listening to team concerns and addressing them with encouraging solutions will foster trust. Similarly, empowering team members strengthens collective confidence.

Interpersonal skills, like charisma, can also be learned. Using vivid language and engaging storytelling cultivates influence and respect within the team.

Examples

• Leaders successfully reduce resistance by acknowledging concerns and collaboratively solving issues.
• Using metaphors like "Fitbit for teeth" can turn abstract concepts into relatable ideas.
• Mentoring sessions allow leaders to grow trust and skill-sharing within dynamic teams.

7. Intrinsic Motivation Sustains Habits

Researchers emphasize that intrinsic rewards, such as personal satisfaction or learning something valuable, are far more motivating than external rewards. This is why attaching rewards to leadership behaviors ensures continuity.

For example, introverts who find listening rather natural might enjoy and master Active Listening faster than extroverted peers who favor speaking. Selecting personalized habits can maximize leadership growth across different individuals.

During Lanik’s research, many leaders discovered that habits aligning with their core attributes led to enjoyment in behavior development and transformation into valued team players.

Examples

• Employee satisfaction grows when people feel valued intrinsically.
• Online quizzes reveal areas of instinctive leadership fit for individuals.
• Studies demonstrate satisfaction overtaking monetary incentives in habit reinforcement.

8. Team Building Must Be a Regular Activity

Team building is wrongly associated with activities like bowling nights or one-off retreats. The best team building occurs daily, through simpler but consistent actions that engage and connect team members.

Habits that enhance connection, such as introducing team members who can benefit from collaborating, build camaraderie. This encourages seamless teamwork and cultivates habitual mutual support.

Daily wins on these fronts improve alignment, synergy, and collective performance, all of which are hallmarks of strong and engaging leaders.

Examples

• Create partnerships by networking employees to mutual benefit.
• Virtual teams thrive by scheduling consistent digital check-ins weekly.
• Watching team content exchange grow builds trust and further exchanges.

9. Change-Led Groups Drive Long-Term Leadership Growth

Change is inevitable, and great leaders learn to embrace and guide teams through periods of transition. Skills like negotiating and sharing vision help leaders inspire teams to favor transformation.

Encouraging team dialogues that highlight future benefits helps allay fears and improve morale. Leaders who excel at listening know how to connect individual and group goals during change.

For instance, leaders embracing evolving technology trends manage resistance effectively by emphasizing growth opportunities. The more team members buy into the vision, the easier such transitions become.

Examples

• Agile executives ensure tech-positive buy-in emerges innovatively, not burdening schedules.
• Open discussions mitigate transitions’ usual interpersonal fears/confusion zones upfront.
• Managing old-way diehards benefit ensuring approaches help unity re-coalesces faster fluid!

Takeaways

1. Develop clear microbehaviors you want to turn into habits, and practice them consistently in just five-minute exercises daily.
2. Discover your natural inclinations, and pair them with leadership tasks that you find both necessary and rewarding to sustain improvement.
3. Use team-building moments to strengthen collaborations by introducing stronger cohesion points to help workers thrive—repeatably!