Tips for Developing Disciplined Leadership

Yesterday I noticed a curious message on the liner of my gym shorts: "Freedom lies in being bold." It got me thinking 🤔 While being bold has its merits, I believe that true freedom (which I define as "a feeling of control over your life"), comes from discipline and consistency. It's easy to make a one-off BOLD move and hope it pays off. But enduring freedom? That comes from showing up EVERY day. Making the SMALL, consistently RIGHT choices and decisions. Taking simple SMART (rarely dramatic) actions that build long-term value. After nearly two decades in the leader development space, I know this to be true: 👉 The best, most impactful, leaders are the ones who do the LITTLE things well, every day. If you're a rising leader looking to "break through" to the next level of success or performance, don't go big, GO SMALL. Double-down on learning, and doing, the LITTLE things that make the biggest difference. If you're looking for a place to start, these are the five "core" skills I work on with my clients: 1. Self-Awareness: Develop a deep understanding of who you are, what you want, and why you do what you do. Even more, learn to share that information proactively, and constructively, with others. 2. Prioritization: Start your day with a plan. Get better at differentiating between what matters most, and everything else. Develop the ability to effectively allocate your time, energy, and resources consistent with your goals. 3. Focus: Grow in your capacity to get your most important work done, every day. Tune out the noise and distractions. Learn how to say "no" when you have to. 4. Mindset: Manage the stories that you are telling yourself; especially the "mind trash" - the stories that make it harder for you to do what you have to do to move your life and business forward. 5. Vision: Develop the capacity to think longer-term; to create a clear and compelling description of the impact and outcomes you are trying to create. Share that vision with others and use it to balance your short-term needs with your long-term dreams. ***** While boldness has its place, "skill + consistency" is the real recipe for freedom. 💥 Any other "core" skills that you would add to this list? #executive #coaching #leadership #development #CEO #performance #skills

Your actions determine whether or not you reach your goals... but focusing ONLY on taking obvious actions is not the highest leverage strategy. Two layers of preparation lead to higher rates of success. The surface layer of preparation is basic and obvious. For example: Setting your alarm and your running clothes out the night before Meal prepping Rehearsing your presentation But a deeper layer of preparation is less obvious and more powerful. It's preparation for your brain. For example, if you have a presentation coming up, how about: Journaling about the presentation Setting an intention for your presentation Naming what you will believe about yourself as you execute your actions Before: Creating your presentation Rehearsing your presentation Delivering the presentation This deeper layer of preparation is easy to do, which means it's also easy to skip. But these mindset steps will exponentially elevate your leadership. Personally, I shift in and out of doing my mental prep. I'm only human. But when I do the prep, the outcome is always, always, ALWAYS better. I challenge you to pick one goal you have for this week and do this deeper layer of prep. STEP 1: Journal about it for two minutes. Freewrite anything that comes to mind. Clear your mind. STEP 2: Set an intention for one minute. What do you intend for this process? How do you want to show up? STEP 3: Finally, pick one sentence to believe about yourself as you execute your process. It could be as simple as "I am focused." What do you think? How do you prep your brain to meet your goals? #successmindset #selfawareness #intentionalaction

You run the company, but your mindset runs you. Every founder hits walls. What separates the ones who grow is how they think when it gets hard. These 10 mindset shifts won’t just make you feel better, they’ll make you lead better. 1/ “I have to do this” → “I get to do this.” Turns pressure into energy. Reminds you why you started. 2/ “What if I fail?” → “What could I learn?” Shifts fear into curiosity. You don’t grow by playing it safe. 3/ “They’re ahead of me” → “I’m on my own path.” Comparison slows you down. Progress speeds you up. 4/ “I need to be right” → “I want to understand.” You don’t build trust by winning. You build it by listening. 5/ “Everything must go as planned” → “Let’s adapt.” Rigidity breaks. Flexibility scales. 6/ “I can’t do this” → “I haven’t learned it yet.” Skills can be built. Capability isn’t fixed. 7/ “This is happening to me” → “It’s happening for me.” Reframes chaos as training. You’re being shaped, not stalled. 8/ “I’m not ready” → “Let’s start small.” Waiting costs more than trying. You’ll learn faster by moving. 9/ “I failed” → “I’m still learning.” Every founder eats dirt. Smart ones get back up cleaner. 10/ “They don’t like me” → “They don’t know me yet.” Leads with connection, not insecurity. Relationships take reps. Save this. When the next rough week hits, read it again. Mindset is a system. Follow me Kinza Azmat for more! Subscribe to the newsletter for more founder mindset tips. https://lnkd.in/g-vUSu-2

Motivation gets you going. Discipline keeps you growing. As leaders, we’ve all seen it—teams start strong, inspired by a big goal or bold initiative… and then energy fades. That’s the trap of motivation. It’s emotional. It fluctuates. It’s unreliable. Discipline, however, is emotional intelligence in action. It’s consistency over intensity. It’s showing up when it’s hard. It’s progress over perfection. Here are 3 key insights for C-suite leaders: ✅ Motivation is a state; discipline is a skill. Relying on motivation is like betting on the weather—great when it’s sunny, paralyzing when it’s not. Discipline is training your mindset to move regardless of conditions. ✅ Discipline stabilizes performance. While motivation spikes and dips, disciplined leaders create sustained execution, predictable outcomes, and a high-trust culture. ✅ Emotional intelligence fuels discipline. Self-regulation, resilience, and intentionality—these are not just EQ buzzwords. They’re the core drivers of discipline, especially when results lag and pressure mounts. Now, a few questions to challenge your leadership lens: 🔹 When motivation disappears in your team, what takes its place? 🔹 Are you building a culture of consistency or one of convenience? 🔹 How does your leadership model the emotional self-discipline you expect? And a few truths worth sitting with: 💭 The most successful people aren’t always the most inspired. They’re the most consistent. 💭 Leaders who rely on motivation build momentum. Leaders who master discipline build legacy. 💭 Emotional intelligence isn’t soft. It’s the discipline behind execution, influence, and clarity under fire. If you need a speaker or if you’re looking to expand your team’s emotional intelligence, consider my DISC training: 🌐 www.sidneyevansglobal.com Let’s create leaders who don’t just start strong— But finish stronger. #Leadership #EmotionalIntelligence #CLevel #DisciplineOverMotivation #SydSpeaks #DISCTraining #ExecutiveDevelopment #HighPerformanceLeadership #SidneyEvansGlobal