I know that I tend to be a little obtuse at times, so I thought that I would create a very simple 10 point list on how to immediately (yes immediately) improve your leadership. The only trick? You must implement half of these and do them every day. (And yes, I pulled the 20% right off the top of my head but I bet I am being conservative.)

1. Smile - A smile goes a long way.  It is one, if not the only, universal body language gestures.  It invites engagement and openness. It communicates as a leader that you are approachable.
2. Say please – Whether you realize it or not, as a leader and a person of influence, you have power – formally or informally.  Don’t abuse it. We all have a choice to respond willingly or begrudgingly. Be polite and say please.
3. Use a person’s first name – The bigger your network the harder it may be to remember someone’s name.  There are lots of tricks out there but I am talking about in the moment.  When you are introduced to someone – use their name.  Use it again before you finish interacting and again when you say good-bye.  And yes, you can remember more names than you think you can.  When I am training, I make it a point to be able to recall up to 40 names during a morning session.  Yes, within 2o seconds of the training being over, the name disappears as well but the point is – it can be done.  Personally, I would rather have someone try a name than not bother at all.
4. Say thank you - Like the first 3 suggestions, this too falls into the category of showing a little courtesy.  Actually, you will notice that the following 3 points are also in this category.  Wonder what that means?
5. Show your appreciation – Where saying thank you is both polite and considerate, small jesters of appreciation go one step further. It might be that archaic written note.  Use what makes sense for you and your organizational culture. In Forbes this week, Susan Adams writes about In Praise Of Praise: Expressing appreciation can be an extremely effective way to motivate employees, yet few bosses do it.  She reports that a survey commissioned by Chester Elton, a motivation consultant, shows 75% to 80% of workers say they get little recognition from bosses. Restaurant chain Hard Rock Cafe reports worker turnover was reduced 3% when managers gave verbal recognition to workers for a minute a day.
6. Be “on time” -  Nothing shows another person that you respect them, than honouring their concept of time.  The concept of “on time” is dictated not only by personality but also culture and the nature of the event. That may mean arriving ten minutes early for a meeting or being right on time.  Sometimes, like at a party, it means showing up 20 minutes after the announced time. It also means finishing and leaving when it is time.  Don’t overstay your welcome. As a leader you will set the expectation and standard so take into consideration others on the team.
7. Apologize – We all make mistakes. Sometimes they are small and sometimes they are big ones.  Either way, saying your sorry and meaning it goes a long way to show that you are human and worthy of being a leader. Employees don’t expect you to be perfect.  (See video below.)
8. Donate – Give of your time or money to those who are not as privileged as you.  The more personally involved the better.  When was the last time you smiled at someone begging in the street and gave them some money?  Or served in the soup kitchen? You actually have to make contact.  While I have my charities, I do like to support micro loans.  For this reason I promote and loan to http://www.Kiva.org
9. Keep a gratitude log or journal – You can easily to this either first thing in the morning by writing down what you have to be grateful about or record at the end of the day those events or people that made today special.  There are online tools that you can use. Two that I have used are:
   http://positivityratio.com
   http://www.GratitudeLog.com

   Those of you who love the “techie” stuff, there are even smart phone apps. I was lucky to get a couple of iPhone apps  while they were free but check them out for yourself at iTunes:  Gratitude Journal, Gratitude Rock – Journal, My Thoughts+, Be Happy, Live Happy Now and more.  (You can even get music free from K-Love Positive and Encouraging)

10. Treat Yourself - How can you value others if you don’t value yourself? Each week find a way to show yourself that you care about you.  Get a massage or a manicure. Take a walk in the woods or on the beach. Listen to some classical music. Have a hot bath with candles and wine. Read. Go to a concert; sport activity; restaurant; whatever works for you. Make sure it is something that you find special and still value as such.

Hey, you may even end up being a better human being or parent or partner. Don’t worry about perfection; instead, work on your character.

Scot Herrick, of Cube Rules, writes Why you should strive for excellence at work, not perfection Here’s my take on it in this short video talking about leaders being their best (see tips above) instead of being right.

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