5 Habits Real Leaders Use to Help Their Teams Grow and Succeed

 In today's fast-paced business world, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. The old top-down management style simply doesn't cut it anymore especially when employee engagement. Real leaders understand that their success hinges on their teams' growth and well-being. They cultivate specific habits that inspire trust, drive performance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Below are five key habits that true leaders practice with their teams to grow and be better together. These habits are backed by experience and research, and they can transform your leadership impact.

1. Lead with Empathy 🤝

Great leaders lead with empathy and emotional intelligence, making people feel heard, valued, and understood. By putting themselves in their team’s shoes, leaders build trust and loyalty. This isn’t just a “nice-to-have” it has real business impact. In fact, 87% of CEOs believe that a company's financial performance is tied to empathy in the workplace. When you show genuine care for your employees' needs and ideas, they in turn invest more of their energy into the organization’s success.

To practice this habit, focus on active listening and being fully present in conversations. Encourage your team to voice concerns and ideas, and respond with understanding. An empathetic leader acknowledges personal challenges, offers support, and adjusts expectations when necessary. By demonstrating emotional intelligence, you cultivate a positive environment where people feel safe and motivated to perform at their best.

2. Communicate Openly and Build Trust 💬

Transparent, frequent communication is a hallmark of real leadership. Teams thrive when leaders share information openly, set clear goals, and provide regular feedback. Open communication builds trust and trust is the foundation of high-performing teams. Research has shown that psychological safety (where team members feel safe to speak up and share ideas) is the single biggest predictor of team performance. In other words, when people know they can voice opinions or admit mistakes without fear, they become more innovative and engaged.

Make it a habit to hold regular one-on-one meetings and team check-ins. Share the “why” behind decisions and invite questions. Admit mistakes and be honest about challenges; this transparency shows humility and integrity, further strengthening trust. By fostering an environment of open dialogue, you empower your team to collaborate, problem-solve, and grow together without hesitation. 

3. Act as a Mentor and Coach 🎓

Real leaders don’t just manage work, they invest in their people’s growth. Adopting the habit of mentoring and coaching your team members pays dividends in performance and loyalty. When you take time to develop your employees’ skills and career aspirations, you build a stronger, more capable team. Successful leaders are often those who create more leaders. They provide guidance, share knowledge, and create opportunities for their team to learn and advance.

Leading by example is a powerful form of mentorship. Show your team that you are also continuously learning and improving yourself. Whether it’s learning a new skill or seeking feedback on your leadership, your commitment to growth will inspire your team to adopt a similar mindset. In short, be the coach who pushes others to reach their potential and the role model who demonstrates lifelong learning.

4. Embrace Diversity and Inclusive Team Culture 🌍

In a real leader’s team, everyone’s voice matters. Embracing diversity and inclusion isn’t just a trend – it’s a habit that drives innovation and better decision-making. Encouraging different perspectives and backgrounds on your team leads to more creativity and resilience in the face of challenges. Studies back this up: companies in the top quartile of ethnic diversity are 39% more likely to outperform those with less diverse representation.  Diverse teams can draw from a wider range of experiences, leading to smarter solutions.

Foster a culture where everyone feels respected and included. This means actively welcoming input from all team members, and challenging groupthink by asking for alternative viewpoints. If there’s disagreement, real leaders facilitate respectful discussion and make it safe to dissent. By doing so, you create a space where the best ideas rise to the top, no matter who they come from.

5. Encourage Innovation and Continuous Improvement 💡

Real leaders constantly push the envelope and encourage their teams to keep improving. In an era of rapid change, they know standing still means falling behind. That’s why effective leaders make a habit of embracing change and fostering a growth mindset in their team. They challenge the status quo, invite new ideas, and aren’t afraid of failure – as long as the team learns and iterates. As former IBM CEO Ginni Rometty said, “The only way you survive is you continuously transform into something else. It’s this idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company.”

It’s also important to celebrate wins and improvements, both big and small. Recognizing your team’s breakthroughs, whether it’s a successful project launch or a clever process tweak fuels motivation and shows that innovation is valued. Over time, these practices create a culture of continuous improvement, where each team member is looking for ways to be better than yesterday. In turn, this drives the team and company to grow in a sustainable, adaptable way.

Conclusion: Building Better Teams, One Habit at a Time

Becoming a truly effective leader is a journey of consistently practicing the right habits. By leading with empathy, communicating openly, developing your people, embracing diversity, and driving innovation, you create an environment where your team can thrive. These habits boost team engagement and performance, exactly what’s needed when disruption is high and old leadership models fail.

Remember, leadership is not just about the position you hold, but the positive influence you have on those around you. Start incorporating these habits into your daily leadership style and watch your team grow stronger and more committed.

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