Leadership Truths: It Starts With You
Titles don’t make leaders. Teams don’t make leaders. Leaders make leaders. And everyone has the opportunity to be a leader.
I have always loved this quote, attributed to John Quincy Adams, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." I used that quote on the Effective Retail Leader home page for the first several years. It is such a simple, yet powerful statement that captures the real essence of what leadership is about: inspiring others.
In the next several articles, I want to explore some core concepts of what leadership is and the truths that go with it. Leadership isn’t complicated, but it is not easy either. Being a positive and effective leader takes work, requires purpose, and a commitment to others. The challenge sometimes with understanding leadership is defining what good or bad leadership looks like. Leadership happens one way or another, but I struggle to define poor leaders and bad leadership as leadership. In most cases, it is more of an abuse of power and trust than leadership. That said (rant over), these articles will take a look at what it means to be an effective leader, in retail, or in any other industry. Leadership applies in all areas of life, not just to work.
The first truth is simple but hard: if you want to lead, you must start with yourself. It requires humility, honesty, and the daily discipline to serve before you ask anyone else to follow. Below are the building blocks of self-leadership. Each one comes with a summary and action points you can apply right now.
Everyone’s leadership journey is highly personalized. But for all of us, leadership begins in the mirror.
Look in the Mirror
When teams fall short, leaders often look outward. They point to weak performers, missed resources, or broken processes. But strong leaders look inward first. Remember when you look in the mirror and point a finger, it still points to you. Self-reflection, self-awareness, and humility are cornerstones of strong leaders.
If your team is struggling, it reflects your leadership. Have you set clear expectations? Have you provided the right support? Have you shown up consistently? These can be hard questions to ask yourself. If you are truly honest with yourself, the answers may sting. However, you are answering to yourself first. When you see gaps, commit to addressing them. I’ve had these conversations countless times with myself. I have hated the answers many times. But the response was to commit to being better, not beat myself up or make excuses.
Your team is watching. If they sense compromises from you, they will learn to excuse themselves. If they see accountability from you, they will learn to own their results.
Action Points
Conduct a self-assessment every month. Ask yourself where you have set the example and where you have drifted.
Seek honest feedback from your peers and team. Listen without defense.
Resist the urge to blame. Start with your own role in the challenge.
Humble, Hungry, Hustle
Brad Lomenick’s book, H3 Leadership: Stay Hungry. Be Humble. Always Hustle captures three qualities every leader must hold: humble, hungry, and hustle. These are as much mindsets as anything else in my opinion. Understanding how they work both individually and together is critical. They balance each other out, and getting out of balance on any one of them can tip you into dangerous territory from a leadership standpoint. Let’s look at each a little closer.
Humble: Stay grounded. Don’t get caught up in ego or over emphasize your success. Admit mistakes quickly. Give credit frequently and publicly.
Hungry: Pursue growth for yourself and others. Never act like you have arrived. Push for progress, not perfection. This is one where getting out of balance can turn quickly against you. The right mindset will keep you in check to prevent being hungry for success in the wrong way.
Hustle: Put in the work. Lead from the front. Show that you are willing to do what you expect of others. This is another one where hustle and pushing too hard in the wrong ways can get yourself and others into trouble. Balance this with self-care and empathy to ensure you understand how others see this.
Balance is key. Pride without humility destroys trust. Comfort without hunger creates complacency. Talk without hustle weakens credibility.
Action Points
Practice humility by giving credit away more often than you take it.
Feed your hunger with one new learning input each week: a book, podcast, or mentor conversation.
Model hustle by showing up prepared and engaged in every meeting, visit, or review.
Service Before Self
Servant Leadership is still an approach that will lead to successful outcomes and leaders who are loved and trusted. It frequently gets misunderstood, and can even seem like a ‘weak’ form of leading a team. However, it continues to prove itself as the core of the most successful leaders in businesses. Read updates from the Ron Vachris CEO of Costco, Tim Cook of Apple, or Doug McMillion from Walmart, and they inevitably will mention their belief in serving their team ahead of themselves. Yet these are some of the most powerful, influential leaders in business today.
Service ahead of self means clearing the path so others can succeed. It means listening before directing. It means asking “what do you need from me?” before asking “why aren’t you there yet?” These subtle approaches are easy to overlook, but powerful in their statement to others you engage with on a regular basis. When leaders serve, trust rises. When leaders serve, performance follows.
Action Points
In your next one-on-one, ask, “what can I do to help you succeed this week?”
Remove barriers you’ve created, even unintentionally. Policies, habits, or approvals that slow the team need review.
Be approachable. Create space for your team to share concerns without fear.
Consistency Over Time
The final truth is that leadership starts small but grows through consistency. Anyone can be humble one day, hungry the next, and responsive when it suits them. But teams remember patterns, not moments. Consistency builds credibility. A team that knows how you will show up, week after week, learns to trust you. And trust is the currency of leadership. If you ask anyone what they remember most about great leaders, it will always come back to trust and knowing they could count on them. Consistency can get lost in importance because it seems boring. Knowing what to expect from your leader goes a long way in empowering the actions you take in your work.
Action Points
Create personal leadership routines. Examples: weekly reflection, monthly feedback check, quarterly reset of goals.
Align your words and actions daily. If you talk about accountability, hold yourself accountable first.
Commit to being the same leader whether things are going well or poorly.
It's Your Mirror
Leadership truth one is this: it starts with you. Not with your team, not with your title, not with your company. If you want to lead others, you must first lead yourself. Humility, hunger, and hustle are starting points for a mindset that will serve you well in your leadership journey. The mirror doesn’t lie, you just have to choose to see it. What you see there determines what your team will see in you. When you show up the right way, consistently, there will be no stopping the successes you can create for yourself and those you serve.
How do you keep yourself honest and evaluate how you are showing up for those around you?
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