I was once given these “Ten Commandments for Great Leaders” by someone that thought I had the potential to be a great leader. It had such an effect on me I printed them out and stuck them on the front cover of my daily planner, so I would be forced to read them every day. In my professional life I’ve been fortunate enough to work with several amazing leaders (as well as many more very poor leaders) and I believe habits like those below are what sets them apart.

TEN COMMANDMENTS FOR GREAT LEADERS
1. When placed in command, take charge, make decisions and make things happen.
2. Do the RIGHT THING regardless of the consequences.
3. Learn to recognise and admit your weaknesses, then work on strengthening them.
4. Be truthful and ethical with staff at all times - it is more important that your staff respect you
than love you.
5. Lead by EXAMPLE.
6. Delegate authority but not responsibility - take the blame when things go wrong, but praise the
team when things go right.
7. Get to know your team and give them opportunities to use their strengths and develop their
weaknesses
8. Set goals and stay focused on them - don't waste time on other things.
9. Set, and only accept, high standards.
10. Don't tell people how to do their job - tell them WHAT to do, but not HOW to do it.
LEADERS LEAD PEOPLE - MANAGERS MANAGE SYSTEMS

As I said, I was given these ten commandments once, which held significant meaning to me – it meant someone believed in me enough to want to help me achieve greatness. If you know any ‘great leaders’ in the making, maybe you should pass this on to them and show that you believe in them. It’s often the little things that make the biggest difference.

Have a great day!

– Katrina

Tags Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Quotes, Staying Focused, Team Building