Do More Than: Six Habits That Grow Leaders

William Arthur Ward once wrote, “Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”

Every team knows the difference between a plan on paper and a plan that thrives. The difference is what happens between intention and action. Leadership works the same way.

Participate. Your team is watching whether you just hold the title or roll up your sleeves. Weed by example. Ask questions. Be present where the work happens.

Help. Having an awareness about what your people are facing is a good start. They feel it when you remove an obstacle, like bringing in the team to get clarity on a project, helping members who may be stalled and providing answers. 

Practice. Believing in your values means little if they only live on the wall. Live them daily and let it become who you are.

Be kind. Fairness keeps the rules straight. Kindness keeps people. The employee others have written off as a “weed” often just needs someone to see what they could grow into.

Forget. Learning from a mistake and then bringing it up at every review is extremely unmotivating. Let a resolved issue stay resolved and admire the growth.

Work. Vision matters, but no one ever mowed a field by imagining it. Great leaders pair big dreams with steady, everyday effort.

Here’s the challenge for this week: pick one “do more than” and put it into action with one person on your team.

Small, consistent acts are what grow ordinary teams into extraordinary ones.

Leadership isn’t measured by what we intend. It’s measured by what we do.

Keep growing,

Jeff