What Personal Habits Contribute to Your Effectiveness?
Ever wondered what personal habits set the most effective managers apart? In this insightful Q&A, a Founder and a CEO share their secrets to success. The first expert emphasizes the importance of practicing active listening, while the final piece of advice highlights the value of starting each morning with team huddles. Discover these tips and more from seventeen seasoned professionals.
- Practice Active Listening
- Maintain a Daily Reflection Journal
- Take Time for Daily Reflection
- Concentrate on Active Listening
- Consistently Practice Active Listening
- Schedule Regular One-on-One Check-Ins
- Set Clear and Specific Goals
- Reflect Weekly on Team Interactions
- Send Personal Notes Weekly
- Leverage Personalized Relationship-Building
- Write Down Daily Questions
- Take Daily Walks Through Projects
- Block Out Morning Thinking Time
- Keep a Digital Wins and Lessons Journal
- Prioritize Transparency in All Dealings
- Have Regular One-on-One Video Chats
- Start Each Morning with Team Huddles
Practice Active Listening
One personal habit that has significantly contributed to my effectiveness as a manager is the consistent practice of active listening. Over my years of experience, I have found that truly hearing and understanding what my team members, clients, or stakeholders are saying without immediately rushing to solve the problem creates trust and fosters collaboration. When I ran my telecommunications company, we were growing rapidly, and I began noticing that employee concerns were escalating due to the pressures of expansion. By setting aside structured time to listen to their feedback, I identified recurring themes, such as inefficiencies in our customer service workflows. Acting on this feedback, I implemented streamlined procedures and introduced cross training programs that boosted both employee morale and customer satisfaction. This habit has roots in my army training, where communication was paramount, and my MBA studies, where I deepened my understanding of organizational dynamics. It carried into my business coaching practice, where I have applied the same principle. For instance, during a coaching session with a struggling retail business owner, I noticed they were more focused on justifying their decisions than addressing the root causes of their issues. By actively listening, asking the right questions, and reframing their concerns, we uncovered a major inefficiency in their inventory management. Implementing targeted solutions led to a forty percent improvement in their operational efficiency. The key takeaway is that effective management is not about always having the answers upfront. It is about being present, understanding the nuances, and empowering others to find and execute solutions.
Maintain a Daily Reflection Journal
After managing hundreds of properties and teams since 1998, I've discovered that maintaining a daily reflection journal is my secret weapon. Each evening, I spend 10 minutes writing down what worked, what didn't, and what I learned from managing Cleveland House Buyers' operations that day. This simple practice has helped me spot patterns in team dynamics and property management challenges, leading to better decision-making and fewer repeated mistakes.
Take Time for Daily Reflection
One personal habit that I believe significantly contributes to my effectiveness as a manager is taking time each day for reflection. As the founder of Software House, it's easy to get caught up in the fast pace of running a business, but I've found that pausing to reflect allows me to reassess my decisions and interactions. This practice gives me clarity, helping me prioritize effectively and maintain focus on long-term goals rather than getting sidetracked by day-to-day urgencies. By reflecting on what's working and what isn't, I can address issues proactively and make informed adjustments. This habit also supports my role as a leader by giving me a chance to assess how my actions align with the company's values and vision. It's a small but powerful way to ensure I'm always growing and improving, which in turn encourages my team to do the same.
Concentrate on Active Listening
One personal habit that contributes significantly to my effectiveness as a manager is active listening. This includes fully concentrating on what the team members are saying, trying to understand their messages, responding thoughtfully, and remembering key details for future interactions.
By being an active listener, I create an environment where people feel valued and heard. This habit nurtures open communication, creates space for workers to share ideas and concerns with the employer, and gradually builds team confidence. During one-on-one meetings, I make sure to ask open-ended questions, leaving enough room for responses and do not interrupt. The very act has improved morale and given me insight into how they perceive things.
This habit is profound in its impact because it leads to more effective collaboration, improved problem-solving, and a stronger sense of belonging among team members. It helps me make more informed decisions that align with the needs of the team and the organization as a whole.
Consistently Practice Active Listening
One personal habit that has significantly contributed to my effectiveness as a manager is consistently practicing active listening. I make it a point to truly listen to my team, not just for the content of their words, but for the underlying concerns and ideas they may not directly express. This habit helps me understand the bigger picture, identify potential issues early, and provide better guidance.
Active listening also fosters a sense of trust and respect, which is crucial for building strong relationships with my team members. When employees feel heard, they are more likely to open up, share their insights, and contribute meaningfully to the organization's goals. It also allows me to provide more personalized support, whether it's solving a problem or offering feedback.
This habit has helped me create a more collaborative and supportive work environment, which has in turn led to higher productivity and better morale. It's a simple yet powerful practice that ensures I'm always aligned with my team's needs and expectations, ultimately driving the success of the organization.
Schedule Regular One-on-One Check-Ins
I make it a point to schedule regular one-on-one check-ins with my team. These meetings go beyond project updates-they're about understanding roadblocks, hearing ideas, and offering support. For example, during one check-in, a team member shared a challenge with a sales tool that was slowing them down. We worked together to find a quicker solution, which boosted not only their efficiency but also their morale. These consistent check-ins help foster trust and open communication, which ultimately drives better results for the team. Showing I'm present and responsive builds stronger relationships and ensures everyone feels heard.
Set Clear and Specific Goals
One personal habit that I've found invaluable as a manager is the practice of setting clear and specific goals. In my journey from the medical field to founding Profit Leap, I've learned the critical role of precise objectives in driving success. For instance, when expanding a diagnostic imaging company into São Paulo, I focused on setting a clear objective of achieving a 15% market share within a year. This clarity enabled the team to align their efforts and track progress effectively.
I apply a structured goal-setting framework to all my ventures, known as the "8 Gears of Success." This approach helps dissect larger objectives into manageable tasks, fostering accountability and ensuring consistent progress. In one case, utilizing this method led to over 50% revenue growth for small law firms by breaking down the goal into marketing, operations, and customer service improvements. It's a habit that not only sharpens focus but also empowers teams to innovate and excel.
Reflect Weekly on Team Interactions
I've made it a habit to spend 30 minutes every Friday afternoon reflecting on what worked and what didn't in our land deals and team interactions that week. This simple practice has helped me make better decisions about our investment strategies and team management, plus it gives me concrete examples to share when coaching my real estate professionals on handling similar situations.
Send Personal Notes Weekly
The practice that's really changed my management game is blocking out 30 minutes every Friday to send personal notes to team members who went above and beyond that week - not just about sales numbers, but things like helping colleagues or coming up with creative solutions for tricky house listings. Last month, when Tom spent extra time helping a first-time home seller understand the process, I made sure to acknowledge that, and I've noticed it's encouraged more team members to step up in similar ways.
Leverage Personalized Relationship-Building
In over 20 years of managing teams, especially during my tenure at OneStop Northwest, I've found that leveraging personalized relationship-building is key to effective management. For instance, when consulting for a struggling business, I noticed multiple vendors hindered their operations. By offering personalized, integrated solutions, I helped streamline their business processes, which noticeably improved their efficiency and morale.
Building strong relationships has also propelled my ability to tailor solutions effectively. A practical example was helping a startup boost online revenue by 300% within a year. By understanding their unique challenges and providing cohesive digital strategies, I was able to create value both for the client and my team. This focus not only improves satisfaction but also improves team cohesion and success.
Consistently engaging with clients and team members ensures alignment and trust, crucial for navigating both day-to-day operations and high-pressure environments. It's this focus on relationships and personalized solutions that drives lasting success and effectiveness in management.
Write Down Daily Questions
I've found that taking 10 minutes each morning to write down three specific things I want to ask each team member has transformed how I manage our cleaning crews at Jacksonville Maids. This simple habit ensures I'm actually listening to their challenges, like when Maria suggested a new cleaning technique that ended up saving us 20 minutes per house, rather than just giving directions all the time.
Take Daily Walks Through Projects
In flipping over 100 houses, I've learned that my most effective habit is taking a daily 15-minute walk through our active renovation projects, just observing and asking questions without trying to fix anything immediately. This routine has helped me catch potential issues early and made our contractors feel more comfortable sharing concerns, like when our team spotted a potential plumbing issue that could've delayed a flip by weeks if we hadn't addressed it early.
Block Out Morning Thinking Time
I've found that blocking out 30 minutes every morning for 'thinking time' has been a game-changer for my management style at Webvizio. During this quiet time, I jot down ideas, reflect on team challenges, and plan my priorities without the pressure of immediate decisions or interruptions. This simple habit has helped me be more strategic and less reactive, especially when dealing with our marketing team's creative projects and client feedback.
Keep a Digital Wins and Lessons Journal
I've learned to keep a digital 'wins and lessons' journal where I document both successes and mistakes from each trade show project, which has become invaluable for improving our processes. Just recently, reviewing my notes from past events helped us avoid a potential scheduling conflict that could have derailed a major client's exhibit setup.
Prioritize Transparency in All Dealings
One personal habit that significantly contributes to my effectiveness as a manager is prioritizing transparency in all dealings. Growing up in MPS, a company founded on integrity and trust, I've adopted the practice of ensuring every client interaction reflects these core values. This means being upfront about pricing and service details, which has helped cultivate strong, lasting relationships with clients. At MPS, we've implemented a risk-free, month-to-month agreement model with no hidden fees, directly embodying this habit. By clearly communicating what customers can expect financially and operationally, we've increased customer loyalty and set a standard in our industry. Transparency has not only improved our reputation but also attracted new clients by word-of-mouth, proving its business value. Another application is fostering a transparent workplace culture. By openly discussing challenges and achievements with my team, trust and accountability became the norm. This approach motivates employees and aligns us all toward shared goals, ultimately enhancing our service delivery.
Have Regular One-on-One Video Chats
Running ShipTheDeal remotely taught me that having regular one-on-one video chats with each team member, even if just for 15 minutes, keeps everyone aligned and catches issues early. I used to think quick messages were enough, but these personal check-ins have seriously improved our team's communication and helped people feel more connected to our mission.
Start Each Morning with Team Huddles
After years of juggling multiple home sales, I've found that starting each morning with a quick 15-minute team huddle keeps everyone aligned and prevents communication gaps that could delay closings. We review our active deals, address any urgent issues, and make sure every team member knows their priorities for the day, which has dramatically reduced the number of last-minute surprises we deal with.
