These 17 Lessons in Leadership Will Help You Guide Your Team to Excellence

By Brett Farmiloe

"What are important leadership lessons you have learned that have helped guide you to excellence?" We posed this question to 17 business leaders to find advice that would help business owners seeking to improve their leadership skills. The responses we got vary from establishing clear objectives and expectations, leading with people in mind, talking less and listening more, and not being afraid to take calculated risks.

Read on to find out what it takes to be a great leader.

How to be a great leader

1. Empower your teams instead of undermining them

"Rather than trying to micromanage every little detail of your team's work (which is incredibly demotivating and counterproductive), give them the freedom, autonomy, and support they need to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Think about it this way—if you're offering the best tools, resources, and support they need to excel at their jobs, why wouldn't they succeed? In fact, by giving them the space to experiment and learn from their mistakes, they will grow as individuals and top performers, too."
—Jess Rodley, Dialed Labs

2. Establish clear objectives and expectations

"I believe that leaders who establish clear objectives and goals can motivate their team members to collaborate on a single goal. Clear goals and expectations give team members a road map to follow and help them understand how their work contributes to the overall success of the team. Leaders must also provide regular feedback on goal progress and change them as needed to ensure that they stay relevant and realistic."
—Edward Mellett, WikiJob

3. Assign the right people to the right positions

"The most valuable leadership lesson I have learned (and the most expensive one) is to assign the right people to the right positions. Nothing slows down a team more than an employee in the wrong position. Sometimes, your company might be better off hiring no one than bringing on a bad hire. The math behind this is simple. When you hire a bad employee, your company loses more than just time, money, and effort—you also sustain indirect losses, such as poor performance, lack of productivity, and a wasted investment.

"The poor performance of a single employee can also cause a knock-on effect on the rest of the team. Your employees can't be productive if they have to take on extra tasks to cover for someone who is not doing their job. Later when you have to find a replacement, it will involve additional time and expense. In the long run, investing in high-quality candidates, and at a higher cost, is worth it."
—Tatsiana Kirimava, Orangesoft

4. Master the idea of being a "servant" leader

"Being a 'servant' leader means always prioritizing the needs of one's team over one's own personal needs and putting the team's overall success over one's own personal success. It also requires one to build relationships with each member of one's team. And this involves taking the time to get to know each team member, their strengths and weaknesses, and understanding what motivates them and how to bring out the best in them."
—Jonathan Zacharias, GR0

5. Be honest with your team

"The most vital asset in my business is my employees. If they succeed, so does my business. That's why it's important to keep them in the loop regarding the company's vision, goals, hurdles, and overall progress. Transparency is key. It enables you to establish an organization-wide culture of accountability, trust, and respect. As a result, you must be receptive to criticism and feedback. Even if they may contradict your viewpoint, pay attention to the suggestions made by your team. Being receptive to fresh viewpoints will help you gain insightful knowledge that will help your company make better decisions."
—Stefan Chekanov, Brosix

6. Recognize leadership as a two-way street

"As a leader, it's important to recognize that you have just as much to learn from your employees as they do from you. Yes, you have more experience and expertise, but that doesn't diminish the experience and expertise your employees are bringing to your team. Listen to them, learn from them, and let your leadership be a two-way relationship in order to make the most of your employees, and vice versa."
—Bradley Hall, SONU Sleep

7. Lead with people in mind

"One leadership lesson that I have learned is to lead with people in mind. As a leader, it is important to engage your people and to consider their needs and perspectives. Emotional intelligence is an important skill to possess, as it can help you better understand and connect with your team members."
—Brenton Thomas, Twibi Digital Marketing Agency

8. Choose to coach instead of direct

"Learning to stop micromanaging and removing some of those controls over a team can be hard, especially for a new leader who is nervous about making a mistake. The biggest shift happened when I switched from giving my team direction to coaching them to choose their own.

"If you’ve built a strong team and helped people develop their skills, you can offer minimal guidance and allow them to find their own best way forward. Often, they come up with approaches, solutions, and workflows that are even better than what you’d suggest because their ideas are suited to their individual preferences and strengths. Give your team the freedom to choose and offer plenty of support to aid them."
—Shawn Plummer, The Annuity Expert

9. Build relationships as you lead

"There always seem to be new and developing styles of leadership. However, all styles of leadership circle back to the one common denominator: relationships. Any influential leader understands that building a solid relationship with those in their leadership fold is the lifeblood of any effective leader. Think about this for a second. Leadership isn't about barking orders or directing tasks that to be done. It's about fostering an environment where people want to follow your lead.

"At the foundation of fostering such an environment is the building of relationships. Yes, I said foundation. Everyone who structures their leadership style with a sound foundation of relationships will always be successful. When building a house, the first thing you build is the foundation, and you build it strongly if you want it to last. With a solid foundation, your leadership house will support the weight of everything that follows."
—Ed McManus, Relationship Media

10. Talk less and listen more

"Leadership isn't just about talking, it's about listening. In fact, one of the most valuable lessons you can learn is to talk less and listen more. True leaders know when to take a step back and hear what their team has to say. By listening to diverse perspectives and taking them into account, leaders can overcome obstacles and make better decisions. It's not just about being a good listener, it's about creating a culture of respect and trust. When team members feel heard and valued, they're more likely to follow your lead and work together to achieve success.

"So the next time you're in a leadership position, remember to hush and hearken—your team and your success may just depend on it."
—Jocelyn Bowmaker, The Mindset Development Group

11. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks

"Leadership is a complex process that involves both the ability to understand and lead people, as well as direct resources. It can be challenging but also immensely rewarding when done correctly. One of the most important lessons I have learned in my time as a leader is not to be afraid of taking risks—even if they might not have expected outcomes.

"My investment in advertising for never-seen-before products allowed us more visibility and created more sales opportunities than ever before. With calculated risk-taking, leaders can set themselves up for success while allowing themselves room to reap the benefits of greater opportunity."
—Grace He, teambuilding.com

12. Embrace empathy to transform your workforce

"One of the most important lessons a leader can learn is the importance of empathy towards their team. Being able to show understanding and compassion can positively transform the way a team functions together. When leaders show empathy, they create a safe and comfortable environment for open communication, which leads to better collaboration, engagement, and productivity. They also gain their team's trust, loyalty, and respect.

"There are many practical ways in which leaders can show empathy. For example, they can listen actively, ask questions, validate feelings, and empathize with their team members. They can also give constructive feedback, be flexible with their schedules, and prioritize their team's well-being."
—Bridget Reed, The Word Counter

13. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best

"One thing I appreciate as a leader is that things will not always go according to plan. In fact, borrowing from Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong will typically go wrong at the worst possible time. Therefore, it is important to prepare your mindset for setbacks. In my years as a leader at different startups, I have learned that it is essential to always plan for the worst and hope for the best. After all, while we are free to strategize and plan as much as we can; many things in business are beyond our control. Therefore, we must expect difficult situations and create plans to deal with them while working hard to ensure we have achieved our goals."
—Logan Nguyen, MIDSS

14. Understand your own limitations

"Understanding your own limitations is one of the most important lessons I have learned. Regardless of how successful you become, you must always acknowledge areas that need improvement.

"As a newly promoted leader in my previous company, I had difficulty accepting the responsibilities that were imposed on me. I lacked experience in recruiting, hiring, and managing people, and these skills took some time to learn. I attended seminars and workshops, read the latest research, and consulted with experts. I honed my skills and was able to successfully lead after going through this process.

"Successful leaders possess humility, as I have learned from experience. Only by recognizing your weaknesses and overcoming them can you achieve true excellence."
—Pete Evering, Utopia Management

15. Sacrifice your ego

"One of the most important things I've learned is to sacrifice your ego, focus on the people around you, and understand what they need. It might seem contrary to what you believe, but leadership isn't always about you—it's about your employees. The more you tap into their potential and help them grow, the more you will grow as a leader. Therefore, it's important to listen to your employees, as they are a key part of your organization.

"If you do not take their opinions into consideration, you may not hear what the business needs or what their wants are. You will be unable to view differing perspectives, which could enhance your success. Their voice is just as important as yours, and by developing a reciprocal relationship, they can help you meet your company goals and also increase employee morale."
—Ben Bozzay, Tech Lockdown

16. Trust your team to do the right thing

"Trust your employees 100%! I have always trusted my team to do the right thing and never betray the company's mission. But conversely, I have dropped them like a hot potato if I get any sign of betrayal. When you trust your people, they have a higher job satisfaction level and focus on getting the best results, and thus, they are more productive."
—Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team

17. Never ask someone to do something that you can't do

"Never ask someone to do something that you wouldn't do yourself or haven't done in the past. You cannot guide someone to success if you yourself do not know how to complete the task or what success looks like. You must continually strive to be knowledgeable about what you ask of others. A leader must be able to step in and take over any aspect of a project or task when needed. Leaders who are unprepared or who don't understand what success looks like can't possibly lead others to successful outcomes."
—Ben Adams, Web Tools Advisor

About the Author

Post by: Brett Farmiloe

Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Terkel, a Q&A site that converts insights from small business owners into high-quality articles for brands.

Company: Terkel
Website: Terkel.io
Connect with me on LinkedIn.