What Great Leaders Actually Do

What are the major practices of leadership that we must enact on a continual basis to be able to have the amount of influence and impact we desire, in our work lives or any role in which we’re leading other people?

The framework for leadership is called E-6. These are six practices of leadership and not six steps, because it’s not like you do it once and then you move on in the process. It’s an active process.

Practice One: Envision

Great leaders envision a compelling, different and vibrant future than what’s here. They have an alternative clear view of what the world could be like tomorrow than it is today. They have a shared purpose. They believe that they and others would be compelled by, interested, inspired by, and want to work toward, and that’s a big deal.

Practice Two: Enlist

A great leader is always enlisting other people to believe in the dream, to shape the dream, to stay dedicated to the dream. It’s an honest and authentic and genuine desire to see other people be involved in the process and to enjoy that process.

Practice Three: Embody

Leaders stand for something. There is a congruence between who they are and the behaviors that they’re enacting into the world. How they treat people, what they’re working towards, and what they say is important. It’s integrity. It’s a congruence between what we say we’re after and how we’re behaving.

Practice Four: Empower

Empowerment means we give people the decision-making authority and the trust to be able to work towards this vision, to allow them the autonomy, the strength, the input, to equip them with the knowledge the skills, the abilities, the technology, the tools, and training to allow them to succeed as they march with us to achieving something extraordinary and phenomenal. That’s vital. That’s what empowerment is about.

Practice Five: Evaluate

• Are we being excellent?
• Are we being ethical?
• Are we being excellent and ethical as we are progressing?

These are the questions we’re evaluating on.

That evaluation also brings up the incredible challenge that we face as leaders, which is to give honest, direct, immediate constructive feedback to those who are trying to influence and lead. It’s a consistent process of checking in and seeing how we’re doing and paying attention, to really evaluating the progress of our mission.

Practice Six: Encourage

To encourage, to be the champion. To be the cheerleader. To be the person always motivating, inspiring, uplifting people.

* Source: Brendon Burchard – What Great Leaders Actually DO