The 4 things successful leaders never do at 7:30 in the morning

Well, sorry to have tricked you with the title. I don't have a clue what successful leaders do, or not do, at 7:30 in the morning. Or at any time during the day for that matter. Yet I see about a dozen blogs or postings left and right every day that seem to promise instant gratification if only we mere mortals could copy this or that habit that successful leaders apparently have. And guess who writes these blogs and postings ... Do you think it is the successful leaders who sit down and share their secrets to success ? Hmm ... most often it is not.

I have studied the history of leadership extensively for an executive leadership program. Over the years, a lot of interesting models and views about leadership have been developed. Yet none of these leadership models have been universally validated as holding the secrets to sustained and successful leadership.

For those who are interested in developing their leadership and who are in search of the holy grail, the following reality check is the best advice I can share:

"The search for the universally correct leadership style is doomed to failure because of cultural variation by country, by industry, by occupation, by the particular history of a given organization, and, most importantly, by the actual task to be performed." from Edgar Schein in Organizational Culture and Leadership (4th edition), page 166.

So rather than try and find out what you are supposed to do or not to do at 7:30 in the morning, work with what you have: yourself and the people surrounding you. Try and improve something you do every day. Ask for feedback and reflect honestly on how you are doing. That is probably going to take you further than digging for secret leadership formulas will !