The Leadership Habit provides the framework for patterns of behavior that will transform the way you lead. The book is both a leadership resource and a call to action. It asserts that leaders who form daily habits in 10 key areas will be more successful in developing productive teams and in building long-term professional and personal growth. Organizations thrive best when leaders (1) drive for results, (2) build the right teams, (3) influence others, (4) understand the business, (5) execute vision, (6) encourage excellence, (7) develop positive relationships, (8) develop customer focus, (9) foster innovation, and (10) model personal growth.

Leading can be a strenuous mental and physical activity. Deciding on higher performance and excellence is a mental commitment to discover or rediscover how to lead and a physical commitment to do something to create the change. Developing the leadership habit takes time and daily practice.

One differentiating characteristic of skilled leaders is the willingness to reflect on and reshape behaviors to accomplish more. In flight, an error of only a few degrees can determine whether the aircraft arrives safely at its destination. Leadership, however, is a delicate relationship between knowing the destination and setting the right course to get there; and correction should be a regular part of leading. Adjusting, adapting, and trying new things enable leaders to arrive on time and on target.

Among other things, books, videos and multimedia presentations, development programs, and the experiences of others can influence the habits that make leaders effective. However, reading, studying, hearing, or watching—although insightful—are ultimately insufficient. Leadership habits are formed by consistently doing smart leadership behaviors. Applying good ideas transforms behaviors to drive results. Subtle differences in the ways leaders act and respond, little differences in the ways they behave, can make a big difference in their results.

Through case studies and global research that looked at the capacity and potential of modern managers to lead their teams to excellence, Crestcom International evolves tools to help leaders achieve higher performance through team and individual development. As managers grow their skills to lead teams, projects, and initiatives, they find answers to problems and create new pathways for team success.

The experience of developing leadership teams in over 60 countries worldwide has validated two important leadership lessons. The first lesson suggests that leaders need knowledge of new business ideas, new technologies, and new management tools. The second lesson is foundational and crucial for managers to reach their potential and achieve higher results. Leaders must practice and immediately apply the new knowledge obtained and feel the positive impact of their actions. This application, refinement, and broader perspective of insight never ends.

Leading is its own language. At last count, there are roughly five thousand languages spoken in the world today, and the language that crosses all borders, cultures, industry types, and sizes of organizations is the language of results-driven leadership. The language of leaders is not limited to words but instead to the ways leaders communicate through actions to achieve the results they want. Managers from diverse organizations who have completed Crestcom International's leadership development program now speak the same leadership language, no matter where they are located. Although they may have different perspectives or unique business or organizational expectations, managers around the world are generally unified in their desires to grow themselves and develop others. Growth and development occurs as managers learn and apply indispensable skills for leading.

The Leadership Habit illustrates the unifying effect of a common leadership language that drives profit and progress with leaders around the world. Crestcom International provides structured leadership development on a global scale. Representatives, faculty, and facilitators of Crestcom dot the globe, and they have contributed greatly to the collective wisdom of this book. The stories in the book are based on the experiences of professionals who have invested in Crestcom programs for leadership development. By turning core global leadership methods into local training for leadership teams, Crestcom trainers help all organizations speak a common language of leadership that every person can comprehend. We want everyone to be fluent in the language of leadership.

With a structured approach, managers can translate the words in this book into a language of leadership habits, attitudes, and actions. Leaders committed to building strong teams deliberately create experiences for themselves and others to learn and apply skills that will lift more than an organization's financials. The development of managers into effective leaders has the potential to enlarge the productivity of every employee, as well as clients, suppliers, and partners eager to promote your brand or purpose. The improvement of yourself and of your team depends on how well you develop habits in 30 specific skill areas presented here, along with actionable ideas from leaders for leaders.

Make leadership your habit.

This book is dedicated to the many Crestcom licensees, facilitators, faculty, representatives, and staff who have chosen to dedicate their lives to making the world a better place by developing stronger, more ethical leaders across the world. Thank you for your endless passion, excellence, and continuous innovation.

We appreciate the Crestcom International faculty members and Crestcom licensees who helped us by contributing their stories, experiences, ideas, and content that made this book possible.