Most of the problems of confusion in teams are not born from a bad strategic decision. It is not a calculation error in Excel or a wrong turn in the market. CONFUSION COMES FROM INVISIBLE HABITS.
Many managers believe that clarity emanates from their authority, from the position they put on their business card. But the reality is different: CLARITY IS BUILT WITH WHAT YOU DO CONSISTENTLY, DAY AFTER DAY.
I’ve seen brilliant teams stagnate. Not because of a lack of talent or technical training, but because the invisible “glue” was missing: the right leadership habits. After years of accompanying leaders and growing organizations, the pattern is always the same.
If you want your equipment to have a sustainable performance, save this list. According to Dr. Chris Mullen. HERE ARE 11 MODERN LEADERSHIP HABITS THAT (SADLY) YOU DON’T GET TAUGHT AT UNIVERSITY:
- CLARITY BEATS SPEED. Before running, define the “why”, what exactly it means that something is “finished” and, above all, who is solely responsible. No owner, no commitment.
- TRUST BY DEFAULT. You don’t wait for them to earn it; give her input. Share the necessary context so that your people can take decisions without having to ask permission for each step. As Chris Mullen says, “The strength of a leader is based on his ability to connect and empathize.”
- PRAISE AS THEY PREFER. Recognition is not for everyone. There are those who appreciate public applause and those who prefer a discreet note. If the praise doesn’t “land” well, it doesn’t work.
- MENTOR, NOT RESCUE. When someone comes with a problem, resist the temptation to give the solution. Question: “What options have you rated?” The leader who rescues creates dependent teams.
- PROTECT THE FOCUS. Deep work is the scarcest asset today. Treat your team’s concentration time as something sacred.
- DECIDE 70%. Waiting for 100% of the information is paralysis by analysis. Modern leadership requires deciding with sufficient, not perfect, data. Slowness kills morale.
- BRING THE CONFLICT TO THE SURFACE SOON. Don’t let problems fester. Separate people from the problem, put the common goal back on the table and resolve the friction before it gets personal.
- MODEL CALM. Your tone is the team’s thermometer. If you speed up, they panic. The leader is the emotional anchor during the storm.
- CLOSE THE CIRCLE. Each meeting must end the same: summary of decisions, task owners and next steps. If there is no mental (or written) record, the meeting did not exist.
- BUILD A BENCH. You don’t keep knowledge under lock and key. Share context so that, if someone is missing, the work continues to flow. Leadership is not indispensable, it is expendable.
- LEARN IN PUBLIC. Normalize the error. When you’re wrong, say it. Ask for direct feedback on a specific point in your management. Vulnerability is the basis of trust. As Mullen says, “Insecure leaders surround themselves with people who always say ‘Yes’. Effective leaders surround themselves with people who challenge them.”
Extraordinary teams are not built with peaks of heroic intensity. They are built with REPEATABLE HABITS. The leaders who really care about “how” their team works are the ones who end up making the difference.
I end with a quote from Chris Mullen that summarizes his idea of leadership:
“You are not a leader until you have produced another leader who can produce another leader.”
