5 Leadership Tips for Self Improvement

Daily writing prompt
What makes a good leader?
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It’s easy to be a bad leader, but it’s more challenging to be a good one. You don’t need formal training to be a good leader, just some practical experience and the critical understanding that you should treat others how you want to be treated. And if you want to be the best leader you can, you’ll always be learning about self improvement. Here are some tips on what makes a good leader to get you started.

Here’s what a good leader does well:

1 Leads by example

A good leader is very hands on. How else can you thoroughly understand the challenges that your team is facing, or how long it takes to complete a task if you haven’t worked on it yourself? Also, if the leader wants their team to work hard, the leader must work hard. The leader leads by example. 

Even if the task is something you cannot do on your own, by working side by side with your team, you will see who gets the job done most efficiently, who leads others, and who is always eager to learn. Now you know the strengths and weaknesses of your team by working with them.

2 Asks questions and does not make demands

A good leader has an open mind. Instead of telling the team to finish the work by Friday, ask if they can complete it by Friday. This question gives them the opportunity to raise concerns and bring awareness to possible roadblocks.

If a mistake is made, a good leader doesn’t make assumptions or immediately blame someone. A good leader points out the mistake and explains what needs to be fixed. They’ll ask what happened to find out what could have caused the error. The first suspect may not be the cause. Then, the leader works with the team to figure out a way to prevent the mistake from happening again.


3 Adjusts their leadership style

A good leader understands that one leadership style does not fit all. Some people need more support than others, especially if they are new to the job. This is not the same as micromanaging. The leader may need to show a new employee once how to do a task, and expect that person to be more independent the second time. 

Some team members are more social and prefer more team interaction. And some are less social and like to be left alone to complete their tasks. The team leader must find a way for the team to work together while respecting everyone’s working preferences.

4 Checks in with the team individually

A good leader regularly checks in with each team member individually. The leader provides feedback on the team member’s performance and asks how they support the team member in their professional growth. What courses would this person like to take?

They also see each person as an individual. By taking the time to talk with each person one-on-one, they will have a better idea about how to support that team member. That person may need time off to take their kids to appointments so they will need a more flexible schedule, for example. 

5 Is never the smartest person in the room

It can be tough on the ego if you aren’t the smartest person in the room. However, a leader should never be the smartest person in the room. 

A leader can depend on a strong team with various areas of expertise to collaborate to get a job done. A leader can still be effective if they are always learning from their team or finding opportunities to learn together. A person who is always learning is always growing. 

A person who knows that there is something they don’t know will always be humble and open-minded.

These are all the traits of a good leader.

Let’s Un-invent the Handshake

Daily writing prompt
If you could un-invent something, what would it be?
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If you could un-invent something, what would it be?

It’s a competition and it’s awkward. Those are just two reasons I would un-invent this one thing that most people in the world consider as polite interaction.

Let’s find ourselves a time machine and travel all the way back to ancient Greece, ancient Babylon, and ancient Rome, when handshaking was practiced. Then let’s remove all memory of the first handshake! It was a form of greeting, like tipping a hat, or showing that you weren’t carrying hidden weapons.

Let’s un-invent the handshake! I’m more in favor of the courteous bow for many reasons. 

1 Handshakes reveal a power imbalance

Enough of men seizing my hand and squeezing so hard that my small fingers become crunched together in a triangular shape, reminiscent of the painful process of Chinese foot-binding. My sole impression of this person is pain. Do those men have no control over their bodies? Do they grab a sandwich with the same force as pulling a car?

I also question the intention of men who immediately twist my wrist to the side like we’re arm wrestling, so that his hand is on top as he shakes my hand. Why the gestures of dominance? Handshakes were a form of greeting, not a moment to show who’s the boss.

And on the other end of the spectrum, I feel so domineering when I shake a woman with a spaghetti grip: the kind of grip where her fingers are like limp string.

2 Handshakes are awkward

On more than one occasion, I’ve been sitting in an air-conditioned room, or just stepped in from the cold, and my hands are freezing. I can see the other person trying to look polite and calm (and not electrified) as I offer them my ice cube hand. 

Let’s not forget about the times when an introduction takes place at an awkward moment. For example, when I wash my hands in the company kitchen and a coworker introduces me to a new employee before I can find the towel. Awkward! Damp-skin handshake after I do a quick pat down on my own clothes.

Or the time you watch someone enter the room and touch door handles, sneeze and use a tissue, and grab a sticky muffin. Then the meeting starts, and handshakes are exchanged. If you’re germophobic, do you now use your handshake hand to grab a muffin from the table too?

What do you think? Do you like the handshake as a form of greeting?

Do You Think About the Future or the Past?

Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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You can tell someone’s age by how much they think about the future or the past.

I’ve noticed that teenagers and people in their twenties talk about the future as if there is a lot of time ahead of them. They have post-secondary education goals, first career-related job discussions, and first romantic relationships. They ask questions such as: How do I start my career? How do I know if he likes me? How do I know if she’s my future spouse? Where should I travel? The world seems new and they want to try things out and explore it. Sometimes they act like they are invincible. They have memories of childhood, school, and first-time life experiences.

People who have reached middle age seem to talk equally about the future and the past. They realize they shouldn’t waste what time they have left. Either they are at the peak of their career and financial stability or they plan to get there soon. Their children are grown or will be grown. They are thinking about retirement plans. Fighting the aging process themselves while taking care of aging parents. Behind them, they have more memories and years than they did in their twenties. They remember friendships and romances that didn’t work out. They’ve been to weddings and funerals. They fondly remember what it was like to be young and invincible back when they didn’t hear of so many tragedies. Most importantly, they feel empowered by their life experience.

Seniors talk about the past a lot. They reminisce about how life used to be, how much things used to cost, and all the wonderful memories of the people they had known and the places they had been over the years. Their memories are like a finished book that they can open and read. They value the preciousness of time because the chances they had to accomplish what they could are mostly behind them. Seniors in their 90s and 100s value each additional morning because they don’t know how many more of them they have remaining.

So to return to the question, “Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past?” I think it depends on the individual, but certainly, your age affects how long the path stretches ahead of you and how far it goes behind you.

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Fear of AI and Technology Started Centuries Ago

People fear rogue robots like the Terminator (from the 1984 movie) will take over the earth and humankind if we allow technology to continue to advance. This fear has been around for a very long time, much longer than ChatGPT and robot waiters.

Long ago, there were tales of golems, a black box of evil, and a self-driving boat. Point is, the theme of creating technology that rebels has been around for a very long time.

Some myths and tales:

  • Pandora’s box: Pandora, an artificial life form, releases misery onto mankind
  • Golem of Prague: a golem that is like a robot that serves its master but later rebels and brings destruction
  • Odyssey: Odysseus gets home using a self-driving boat 

For the full article on how our fears of artificial intelligence started more than a millennia ago, check out more examples of rebellious innovations.