In today’s workplace, the strength of your business often has less to do with the customers you attract and more to do with the people you employ. Your team is your greatest competitive advantage—and in some industries, it’s your only one.
Building that team requires more than just onboarding and annual reviews. It takes a thoughtful approach to development—career mapping, feedback loops, continuous learning. But once that structure is in place, the real leadership begins in the smaller moments. Just as the details of a custom home define its character, it’s the finishing touches of leadership that shape the culture people want to stay in. So how do you move from solid to standout?
Choose Your Words with Intention
Words matter—more than we often realize. The difference between “team member” and “employee,” or “can I offer some feedback” versus “I need you to do something” can shape how people receive and respond to leadership. Language can build people up or quietly shut them down.
Leadership isn’t about sugarcoating tough messages. It’s about delivering them with clarity and respect. A phrase like, “I know you’re trusting me to help you succeed—can I offer a different take on this?” lands very differently than a directive. Similarly, replacing “you should have” with “next time, let’s try…” keeps the focus on future solutions rather than backward blame.
Words have weight. And the more leadership you carry, the more impact they have.
Be Consistent—Especially When It’s Hard
Trust isn’t built through grand gestures. It’s built through everyday follow-through. Show up when you say you will. Do what you commit to. Stick with initiatives past the launch phase. In short: let your team count on you.
This kind of consistency creates stability, and stability creates safety. Teams don’t expect their leaders to be perfect—but they do expect them to be even-keeled. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a bad day, but it does mean you manage your tone and your reactions. If you’re stretched too thin to talk, let someone know their question matters and suggest a time to connect later. Being unavailable is fine. Being unpredictable is not.
And remember: your behavior models what leadership looks like for the next generation. Show them how it’s done.
Make Transparency a Standard, Not a Slogan
A culture of transparency starts when leaders stop protecting information out of habit and start sharing it with purpose. When people understand the “why” behind decisions, they’re far more likely to stay engaged—even if they don’t agree with every move. Openness builds trust. Secrecy builds suspicion.
Try implementing regular Town Halls where any professionally relevant question is fair game. Let people ask what’s on their minds. You’ll find that giving them the freedom to speak often reduces the urge to speculate. When people feel included, they stop feeling left out.
Transparency also includes feedback. Create a space where people feel safe offering upward feedback, and be the kind of leader who can hear it without defensiveness. Your credibility will grow every time you take ownership—not just of wins, but of misses too.
Don’t Forget to Laugh
Leadership doesn’t mean you have to be stoic. In fact, humor is one of the most underrated tools in a leader’s toolkit. A Bell Leadership Institute study found that employees most value two traits in their leaders: a strong work ethic—and a good sense of humor.
Laughter builds connection. It reduces stress. It invites vulnerability. And when used appropriately, it increases your influence. Teams want to follow leaders who bring energy, not just accountability. You don’t need to be a stand-up comic, but you do need to be human.
Lead in the Margins
Leadership isn’t always about sweeping change. Sometimes, it’s about the way you respond to a late email. The words you choose in a tough conversation. The ability to hold space for feedback without flinching. The consistency in your demeanor when everything is chaotic. The ability to make people smile when they least expect it.
These small, intentional actions add up to something bigger: a culture people trust—and want to stay in. And when your team sees those habits modeled daily, they’re more likely to lead that way themselves.
Because in the end, it’s the little things that shape the biggest leaders.
