Best Practices for Effective Leadership: The Top 5 to Get Right

Do You Know the Best Practices for Effective Leadership?
Research from Harvard Business Review reveals a striking reality: only 8% of leaders are highly effective at both strategy and execution. The surprising truth is that leading well isn’t primarily about technical expertise. Instead, it hinges on mastering a set of proven practices that drive both effective leadership and high-performing teams. Top leaders hone a deliberate combination of mindsets and skills.

5 Best Practices for Effective Leadership
Effective leaders don’t just manage — they create the conditions that allow their teams to perform at their peak and achieve shared goals, all while navigating shifting market realities, strategic priorities, cultural expectations, and organizational capabilities.

Based on insights from our leadership simulation assessments and action learning leadership development programs, the most successful leaders consistently demonstrate five key practices. These practices center on clear thinking and communication, a deep understanding of what motivates people, and the curiosity to ask the right questions of the right people — and then truly listen to their answers.

How well do your leadership development programs equip your leaders to embody these practices?

1. Define the Team Culture Required to Execute Your Strategy
   For your team’s strategy to succeed, you must intentionally create and embrace a culture aligned with your strategic priorities. Once goals and accountabilities are clear, be deliberate about how work gets done — and the behaviors that are expected (and unacceptable) in pursuit of those goals.

   Effective leaders actively assess their organizational culture, clarify the corporate values and team norms that matter most, and define how business will be conducted day to day. Defining and communicating your desired culture is just the first step. Leaders must also model it consistently, hire for cultural fit, reinforce the right behaviors, and implement processes that ensure alignment and consistency across the organization.

   You’ll know you’re on the right path when your team is healthy, accountable, and aligned enough to consistently deliver high-quality results.

2. When Organizational Change is Needed, Communicate It Clearly
   Change management consulting experts know that organizations cannot thrive without the ability to adapt to internal and external pressures. Yet change often triggers fear and reduced performance among employees. The most effective leaders recognize when change is necessary and deliver the message of change  in a way that motivates, rather than demoralizes, their workforce.

   For change to succeed, employees must understand the rationale behind change, know their role in making it happen, have the change management skills to pull it off,  and trust that leadership can guide the organization toward a successful outcome. The ultimate objective is organizational effectiveness — and when that is clear, most employees will actively support the shift.

   You’ll know you’re on the right track when your team feels engaged in the changes within their control and genuinely believes the changes are worthwhile.

3. Facilitate More than Lead
   Many leaders fall prey to overconfidence. Rising to the top can create the illusion of knowing it all — especially when surrounded by yes-people who never challenge them. The most effective leaders, however, understand the limits of their own knowledge.

   Top leaders actively seek feedback, invite differing perspectives, help solve problems, and ask thoughtful questions. They listen carefully to insights from trusted colleagues and are willing to revise their thinking based on what they learn. They cultivate curiosity, embrace growth, and encourage constructive debate to ensure the best decisions are made.

   You’ll know you’re on the right path when your team trusts you to guide them toward future success.

4. Link Behaviors to Results
   Every successful leader delivers results — but the most effective leaders focus less on the outcomes themselves and more on the few critical behaviors and leading indicators that drive those results. What truly matters is that employees are capable, confident, committed, and aligned with the right activities and ways of working.

   You’ll know you’re on the right path when your team consistently demonstrates a strong results orientation and takes deliberate action to achieve the goals that matter most.

5. Use Time as Part of a Winning Strategy, Not the Determining Factor
   Effective leaders excel at managing their time — they set priorities and allocate effort wisely. The most successful leaders, however, do not let the clock dictate their strategy; they keep the bigger picture in focus.

   The objective isn’t to cram more tasks into the hours available, but to ensure the most critical work gets done. When time runs short, they adapt their approach to achieve the highest-impact outcomes within the constraints.

   You’ll know you’re on the right path when your team can consistently balance the urgent with the important and make smart trade-offs without losing sight of strategic goals.

The Bottom Line
Great leaders don’t just direct — they create the conditions for their team to succeed. To elevate performance and achieve lasting results, leaders must embrace these proven best practices for effective leaders, combining clarity, curiosity, accountability, and strategic focus to unlock their team’s full potential.

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