10 Work Habits That Separate Winning Leaders From Wannabe Leaders

The gap between winning leaders and wannabe leadership is not always obvious on the surface. As an executive leadership coach with extensive experience, I’ve identified clear behaviors that distinguish true leaders from mere aspirants. Effective leadership hinges on consistent, intentional actions. These actions separate high achievers from those who just hold a title. Here’s a detailed look at ten key habits. They reveal the stark contrast between winning leaders and wannabes.

Mindset and Motivation: Winning leaders are primarily driven by a desire to serve their teams and advance the organization. They focus on the impact and success they can facilitate rather than personal gain. Conversely, wannabe leaders often seek positions for the allure of status or personal recognition. They are motivated more by a desire to be liked or admired. This can skew their decision-making and priorities.

Strategic Thinking:  Winning leaders dedicate time to strategic planning and big-picture thinking. They understand market trends and prepare for future challenges. In contrast, wannabe leaders focus on day-to-day operations without long-term strategies. This might impair their ability to navigate future challenges effectively.

Decisive Action: Decisive and willing to make tough choices, winning leaders often make decisions that benefit the organization long-term, even if they are unpopular. In contrast, wannabe leaders hesitate in decision-making. They especially fear facing difficult choices, fearing backlash or loss of popularity.

Emotional Intelligence: Winning leaders continuously work on improving empathy, self-awareness, and interpersonal skills. They recognize the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership. Wannabe leaders, however, often neglect these skills. They focus more on technical abilities, which can impair their leadership effectiveness.

Accountability: Winning leaders take full responsibility for their decisions and the outcomes, good or bad. They use setbacks as learning opportunities. In stark contrast, wannabe leaders are quick to blame others. They make excuses when things go wrong, often shirking responsibility for failures.

Consistency: Consistent in their expectations and personal behavior, winning leaders set a reliable example for their team. Wannabe leaders, however, show inconsistency in their actions and expectations. This creates uncertainty and instability within the team.

Delegation: Knowing when and how to delegate effectively, winning leaders empower their team with meaningful responsibilities. They trust their capabilities. Wannabe leaders either micromanage, fearing delegation, or delegate improperly. This leads to inefficiencies and frustration among team members.

Communication Skills: Winning leaders practice transparent communication. They share vital information to ensure everyone understands the vision and direction. Conversely, wannabe leaders may withhold information. This leads to mistrust and confusion. They often communicate sporadically or ineffectively, undermining team cohesion.

Continuous Learning: Adopting a growth mindset, winning leaders seek new knowledge and feedback to enhance their leadership. In contrast, wannabe leaders resist learning new things or adapting, often because they want to appear as if they already know everything.

Leading by Example: Winning leaders consistently lead by example, demonstrating the work ethic, integrity, and passion they expect from their team. Wannabe leaders often preach high standards but fail to meet them personally, causing a disconnect between their words and actions.

True leadership is defined by a pattern of proactive, consistent, and thoughtful behaviors that set genuine leaders apart from those who simply aspire to lead. By adopting these winning habits, you can inspire, drive, and sustain success for yourself and your team.

Lead From Within: Cultivate these habits to transform your leadership approach from a wanna be leader into a winning leader.


#1 N A T I O N A L  B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness


After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

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Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world.

Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.

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