Leadership Isn’t a Hack, It’s a Practice: 12 Disciplines That Actually Matter

There is no quick fix when it comes to leadership, no magic formula. Good leadership is ongoing work, a practice, something you show up to do every day. So I don’t have any quick hacks to make your leadership easier by tomorrow. That said, in my discussions with leaders of mission-driven organizations, I have discovered a number of things that great leaders practice regularly, and I hope that these can be a starting point for you. But don’t think this list means you can just flip a switch and be a better leader. The diagnosis is easy, the work is hard. It’s an ongoing practice.

  1. Take care of yourself: Too many leaders grind down their physical and mental health, but that only puts themselves and the organization at risk.
  2. Prioritize: These days, every leader feels overwhelmed. And no one organization or person can do it all at the same time. So it is vital to ask “Does what I’m doing right now make any sense?” No is a complete sentence.
  3. Focus on what you can do and what you can control: There are a lot of big issues to capture and distract leaders at any given moment. Bring yourself back to what you can control and what you can do. Let all the rest go.
  4. Watch for the pivot: Be open to the possibility that it might make more sense to change direction than to continue on the current path.
  5. Build for resilience: If we’ve learned anything from the last few years, it’s that the next crisis is always just around the corner. Great leaders build resilient organizations with healthy talent benches that are ready for the unexpected.
  6. Know your strengths and weaknesses: As a leader, it’s important to set your ego aside and recognize that you aren’t the expert at everything. Understand your strengths and weaknesses, and don’t be afraid to ask for help or tap others for skillsets you aren’t good at or don’t have.
  7. Continual learning: In a changing and evolving world, it’s vital to remain curious and keep an open mind. Seek out people who know more than you–or think differently than you. Look at every situation as an opportunity to learn something new.
  8. Remain grounded: Resist the temptation to multitask–be in the moment and focus on what you’re doing. Then move on to the next thing.
  9. Understand and make use of your emotions: Pay attention to what your emotions are telling you about yourself. Pause. Then take a moment and make a sensible decision about what you are going to do with them.
  10. Watch out for burnout in yourself and in your staff: During times of stress, even the most dedicated people can just give up and start going through the motions or hit compassion/ empathy burnout. It’s critical to pay attention to the warning signs and take your foot off the gas if necessary.
  11. Balcony time: Every leader needs to periodically step out of the everyday chaos and take a broader view from above.
  12. Abundance vs. scarcity: Don’t spend so much time thinking about what you don’t have or what you need. Instead, take stock of what you have, and imagine what you can do with it.

To read more on each of these topics, you can find the full articles here. Do you have a favorite practice that is not on the list- please add it to the comments section.

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Brigid McCormack

Brigid McCormack is an evangelist for exceptional leadership. Brigid believes leadership is a skill that can be developed, cultivated, and honed over time. Brigid founded SpinDrift Advisors in 2022 to support and develop leaders seeking to transform their leadership, their careers and their lives. For the prior 24 years, Brigid worked inside mission driven organizations. As an executive and leader, her passion has been to identify and develop strong leaders, create inclusive cultures and enable employees to not just have meaningful careers but also to flourish.

Her journey began with a love of the natural world. At a young age, her father took her birding in California’s Sierra mountains, and Brigid quickly learned the names and sounds of all her favorites: the pileated woodpecker, the cedar waxwing, and the red-winged blackbird. Serving in the Peace Corps, she confronted the polluted legacy of a century of an extractive economy in Ukraine.

After eight years as a major gifts fundraiser—first at the Wharton School at the University of California and then at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business—her passion for protecting nature drew her to senior leadership roles at ClimateWorks and Audubon California. Then spent five years advising high net-worth clients entering the climate philanthropy space.

The drive for coaching

Herself the beneficiary of terrific mentors and executive coaches over the course of her career, Brigid always placed a premium on building the leadership skills of the team around her—from the early career managers to seasoned directors to C-suite. Among her proudest accomplishments is empowering some of California’s rising conservation leaders, working with leaders in the climate, conversation, philanthropic, tech, healthcare and many other fields.

Qualified and inspired

In addition to her own executive experience, Brigid is Hudson Institute trained executive coach, a Dare to Lead trained facilitator, and a Tara Mohr Playing Big Facilitator.  She is certified IEQ9 Enneagram Accredited Practitioner (level 1) and as an Advanced Enneagram and Team Dynamics Practitioner (level 2).  She hodls her ACC from the Internal Coaching Federation. She has a BA in History and BS in Biology from Santa Clara University and a MS in Environmental Management from University of San Francisco.

Brigid still takes time to get outside and listen to the birds of Northern California, while hiking, running, or backpacking with her family. The peaceful moments are important, fuel for her work with the people and organizations working hard to stop the climate crisis and conserve natural places.