Leading people demands more than a playbook: it requires effective strategies that integrate reflection, connection, visualization, feedback, and love (yes, seriously). With two decades of experience as a global leadership trainer, I’m here to share five of my favorite strategies to improve your leadership capacity.
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1. Step Off the Field: The Power of Pause & Reflection
In today’s non-stop, fast-paced organizational culture, the value of taking a deliberate pause for reflection is undervalued. Imagine a soccer game without halftime — players would tire and lose focus, and overall performance would suffer.
Leaders also need their “halftime.” This metaphorical timeout invites leaders to step off the field and engage in deep self-reflection. Questions like “How am I playing the game?” “Who am I being on the field?” and “How am I leading my team?” reveal valuable insights into your leadership approach. This reflective practice extends beyond evaluating performance; it involves understanding how to play the game better and how to find greater enjoyment in it.
When you find joy in leadership, it connects you to the best version of yourself. This introspective process is key to sustainable leadership growth. It’s about more than winning the game; it’s about playing in a way that aligns with your values and brings fulfillment.
I once had a leader tell me he hadn’t stopped to reflect on his life or his leadership for 20 straight years. He had just been going non-stop. When he finally “came off the field,” he realized he had not been living the life he wanted, nor was he the person he wanted to be. He changed everything after that powerful, life-changing pause.
2. Relationship Value: Investing in People
We all know that successful leadership is not an individual venture — it thrives on the strength of relationships. Building and nurturing connections with your team members is crucial for effective leadership.
With the constant demands of organizational life, investing time in relationships is often met with skepticism. When leaders tell me, “I don’t have time to work on relationships,” I share my motto: “Go slow to go fast.” If you spend time building relationships now, it will pay off in the long run and save you time.
Think of your team as a finely tuned machine — every part needs attention and care. Giving each team member your full attention makes them feel seen, heard, and valued. This investment pays dividends because staff are more likely to go the extra mile when they feel a genuine connection with their leader.
Relationship-building is an ongoing, daily process. It involves understanding the unique strengths and growth opportunities of each team member. It means being present in both their successes and their failures. Ultimately, it’s an accumulation of many positive little things, similar to putting a small amount of money into a bank account every day. When you’re having a bad day or not feeling your best, you can draw from that account and feel more fulfilled as a leader. Those solid relationships you’ve built over time will withstand your “shadow” moments.
3. Leadership From the Future: The Merlin Method
Visualization is a transformative tool for leadership capacity development. I learned the Merlin Method from Jim Selman, an American consultant, coach, and author. He explained to me that leaders need to dream up their reality or, in other words, visualize their desired future and then create from there. This strategy draws inspiration from neuroscience and is based on numerous scientific studies.
Visualizing the leader you aspire to be activates your internal GPS, guiding you toward that future self. It’s about setting goals and then creating a vivid mental picture and an emotional experience of their success. This visualization process acts as a powerful catalyst, influencing decision-making, behavior, action steps, and overall mindset.
By creating and focusing on an inspiring vision of your future self, you clear a path for ongoing improvement. This proactive approach to personal development encourages you and serves as a model for those you lead. Your commitment to growing into the best version of yourself becomes a source of motivation for the entire team.
4. Continuous Feedback: Bridging Perception Gaps
Feedback is a powerful tool for leadership refinement. I urge leaders to seek input from various sources on a regular basis so they can bridge the gap between perception and reality. It is not uncommon for leaders to believe their impact is one thing, only to discover a very different perspective from those they work with.
I once worked with an executive for six months, and we were both convinced that her social and emotional intelligence progress was impressive. Then, much to our surprise, we found out at the end of the coaching process that her team had a completely different perception of her evolution. We should have been getting feedback from them all along.
Leaders should be open to receiving continuous feedback on their performance and impact. This may involve self-assessment, seeking input from the team, or engaging in formal evaluation processes. Incorporating this feedback loop into pursuing your desired future self creates a more successful approach to leadership growth.
When you have stakeholders — individuals with a vested interest in your leadership journey — you increase the rate of your success. These stakeholders act as path markers as you navigate different aspects of leadership and personal development. Regular feedback ensures a much more accurate understanding of your strengths, areas for improvement, and overall impact on the team.
5. Lead With Love: Not Just Romantic, but Impactful
The final strategy to build your leadership capacity emphasizes the importance of love in leadership. Leading with love — a genuine and intentional emotional investment — is multi-dimensional, involving love for oneself, the team, and the job.
Self-love is the foundation of well-being and balance. A leader who prioritizes self-care models resilience and sets a positive example for the team. This form of self-love involves recognizing personal strengths, acknowledging areas for growth, and embracing a holistic approach to leadership.
Love for the team goes beyond professional obligations. It entails genuinely caring about the well-being and success of each team member. When leaders invest in the personal growth and fulfillment of the team because they want to, not because they have to, it creates a positive and supportive work environment — a “good-vibes” culture.
Loving the job involves finding passion in what you do. Leaders are most powerful when leading from a place of genuine enthusiasm for and interest in their work. If aspects of the job don’t evoke this passion, the challenge becomes finding a way to fall in love with those aspects. Leading with love amplifies the impact of leadership.
Are You Ready to Improve Your Leadership Capacity?
The journey of leadership growth requires intentional reflection, relationship-building, consistent visualization of your desired future, continuous feedback, and leading with LOVE. These effective strategies, when integrated into your leadership approach, create a solid framework for leadership mastery.
As you walk the path of leadership, remember that growth is not a destination but a fulfilling, ongoing journey. Each strategy presented here is a compass that guides you through the different areas of leadership evolution.
Here’s to leading with purpose, heart, and unwavering commitment to becoming the best version of yourself, one day at a time!