Abhishek Rungta

1) As a leader, you must role-model the behaviors you want to see. Don’t expect reliability if you’re unreliable yourself.

2) Great leaders practice extreme ownership. The team owns the victories. The leader owns the failures.

3) The difference between the leader you are today and the leader you want to be, comes down to what you do. Great leaders have a bias for action.

4) “It’ll be faster to do it myself” are the 7 words that keep you working in the business rather than on it. Go slow, to go fast. Delegate and empower your team.

5) Your best team member may not be your best leader. The skills for doing and leading are often different.

6) Emotional intelligence trumps IQ every time. A leader who can read and respond to their team’s emotions will build stronger, more capable teams.

7) Clarity comes down to you. Everyone should know where you are going, why it matters, and how their work contributes to the journey.

8) Leadership is about leverage. Master the art of identifying the 20% of effort that will drive 80% of results. In yourself. And in others.

9) Infallible leaders make their teams more likely to fail. Demonstrate vulnerability by highlighting your mistakes and celebrate the lessons within.

10) Discipline crushes motivation: Cultivate discipline to consistently deliver, whether you feel like it or not.

11) Understand the difference between confidence and courage. Confidence feels good. Courage doesn’t. But you need to act courageously to become more confident.

12) Factor both knowledge and wisdom into decision-making. “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.” ― Miles Kington

13) Think influence, not control: Leading isn’t about control, but inspiring others to give their best.

14) Adopt a beginner’s mindset: There’s always something new to learn. Stay curious.

15) Remember, failure is a comma in your success story, not a full stop. Learn from it and keep moving.

16) Your influence as a leader diminishes when you stop listening. Listen more than you speak — to the needs, ideas, and feedback of those around you.

17) Acknowledging effort is important, but it’s the results that ultimately matter most. There’s little point to pour your heart out onto the field only to lose every game.

18) If you want to optimize performance on the field of play, you must optimize performance off the field of play. Look after your health and home.

19) Families strive to stick together no matter what. Great teams are optimized to win at all times. Build teams not families.

20) Remember, when something isn’t going to plan, the first step is to look into the mirror.

20 harsh truths I wish I knew 20 years ago. Truly take them in and you’ll become a better leader. If you like content like this, follow me Eric Partaker, for more.