9 Things Anyone Can Do to Be a Better Leader

1. Stop focusing so much on financial and material gain. It is not the only measure of success.
2. Uncross your legs and arms. Open body language makes people feel less tense.
3. Include your employees' spouses or partners at work events, social gatherings and on trips. Work is easier for your employees when they have support at home.
4. Get out from behind your desk and step into the trenches. Sit next to employees, listen to their feedback, and walk in their shoes. You'll see things on the ground that you'll never see from the sky.
5. Make your values mean something. They shouldn't just be words on your website or posters on your walls. Embed your values into your systems and processes. Hire by them, dream by them, fall on your sword by them.
6. When someone asks you for a piece of advice, give it to them with enthusiasm and tell them to come back if they need more in the future.
7. Talk face-to-face. Discussing important matters over email, text and Slack can backfire.
8. Shut up and listen. Not only to what people say, but to what they don't say. The absence of words speaks loudly when you pay attention.
9. Speak from the heart.