1. Establish an impeccable standard of excellence.
Set high expectations at the outset and raise the bar on any crucial factors. The best way to establish a standard is by modeling the expected behavior yourself. Showcase excellence. Your actions have the potential to affect everyone around you and the bottom line, don’t dabble in mediocrity.

2. Deliver on results promised.
Able leadership requires an ability to deliver results. Rhetoric has little value if outcomes are what’s essential. Instead of touting wins from past performances, focus on capturing tangible gains now. Harness the power of chunking, a process for organizing tasks and breaking them down into bite-size pieces, to avoid stress and burnout.

3. Value people and nurture relationships.
Top-notch people skills are vital to sound leadership. Develop premium listening, communication and decision-making skill sets. Demonstrate integrity by being open, honest and fair. If you treat people well, most will be encouraged to return the favor.

4. Promote strategic cooperation.
Collaboration is an indispensable component of leadership, this is especially true if you can build high-performing teams. Isn’t it fascinating that no matter how brilliant people are as individuals, they are often far more effective when working with others? People often produce higher quality, more efficient work products when collaborating.

5. Resolve conflict quickly and effectively.
As a core leadership competency, conflict resolution is a delicate process that requires thoughtful intervention. Disagreements naturally occur. But persistent hostility should not be tolerated. The bottom line? Conflict gets in the way of everything else. Thus, your ability to quickly and effectively facilitate resolution will undoubtedly boost your ability to lead.

6. Freely develop and support others.
Professional development is an extraordinary mechanism for facilitating growth. Demonstrate your commitment to growth by prioritizing opportunities for enrichment. Challenge yourself and your team to overcome shortcomings at regular intervals throughout the year. Then acknowledge and reward proactive participation to build enthusiasm.

Author Credit: Karima Mariama-Arthur