Read Time: 4 Minutes

Leadership is not about being the boss. Leadership is about empowering your team to be their own bosses.

"She's smart" and "he does great work" are table stakes. What you want people to believe is, "she should be running this team."

But how do you get there? I'll share the five core principles that exceptional leaders follow to build influence. Whether you're a people manager or IC, you can change how people perceive you.

1. Be Vulnerable

Exceptional leaders share:

• Their professional goals and aspirations
• Personal motivations and concerns
• Quarterly priorities and objectives

This helps your team understand what's important. It gives them the "playbook" to understand how to work well with you.

But what happens when they get stuck? What if they come to you asking for the answer?

And most important: what if you don't know the answer?

Then say you don't know.

You're being vulnerable. You're giving your team a safe space to problem solve alongside you.

The next time your direct report asks you a question, catch yourself if you feel like you don't have a great answer. Tell them, "Perhaps I should know the answer, but I don't. Why don't we take 15 minutes to workshop this together."

You're now modeling the ideal behavior. Your team doesn't need to have the answers. They need to be willing to ask questions that help us arrive at the answers.

 

2. Show Genuine Interest

Great leaders invest in understanding their people through:

• First-day career conversations
• Dedicated professional development one-on-ones
• Active listening about long-term aspirations

So, I create a simple framework with two questions: "What are your goals for the next 12 months?" and "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

When people feel understood, they bring their best selves to work. This principle creates psychological safety and increases engagement.

3. Commit to Growth

Extraordinary leaders focus on development:

• Within role: Matching projects to skill development goals
• Beyond role: Providing growth opportunities outside core responsibilities

If a team member wants more experience in strategy, give them an initiative to run with. If they want analytical experience, give them modeling projects with clear deliverables.

Here's the key. Don't assume you should delegate whatever you don't like doing to your team. As a rule of thumb, at least half of what I delegate are projects that I know my team has expressed interest in.

When you invest in people's growth, they reciprocate with stronger commitment and follow-through.

4. Encourage Full Ownership

The best leaders empower their teams by:

• Being comfortable with "70% quality" outcomes
• Trusting their teams to execute
• Providing support without micromanaging

When delegating, state: "I trust you to take full ownership of this project. What support do you need from me to be successful?"

But what happens if your direct report doesn't know how to get started? Or what success looks like?

Then, you tell them exactly what success looks like to you. Be as clear as possible. And you give them a sandbox to play in.

Here's an example.

"I would define success as closing our first customer through this co-sell motion. What do you think would need to be true in order for us to close our first customer?"

The first sentence is being clear on success. The question acts as the framework to help your direct report arrive at the answer in their own way.

When they're in doubt, the guidance I usually give falls in 3 parts:

1) "What would need to be true in order for ______ to be successful?"

2) "What are the dealbreakers? In other words, which things MUST we get true first in order for this to work?"

3) "What steps should we take to de-risk these dealbreakers?"

Then, let them dictate how things should go.

Remember, their work quality may not be up to your standards. But it's your job to help teach them how to get there, not for you to do the work yourself.

5. Hold Them Accountable

Accountability works when leaders provide:

• Crystal clear requirements and expectations
• Strategic context (the "why" behind the work)
• Specific deadlines and milestones
• Regular feedback opportunities

Implementation Framework:

1. Define deliverables with precision
2. Connect the project to team objectives
3. Establish primary deadline and interim check-ins
4. Schedule feedback sessions in advance

When expectations are clear, teams perform better. Accountability without clarity creates anxiety; accountability with clarity creates results.

What happens if you set a deadline but they don't meet it?

Then, I would say something like this:

"I haven't seen the deliverable that we agreed would be due yesterday. I feel anxious because I believe our CPO will feel unprepared going into the meeting without it. What's causing the delay? I'd like to be as helpful as I can."

Remember: speak only about facts and your feelings. Don't assume anything about their feelings, reactions, responses, or intent. Come from a place of wanting to help.

Final Thoughts

Which of these values resonated the most with you? And what's one action item you'll take from this newsletter? Hit reply and share with me. I read every response that I get.

If you want to speak like a leader at work, I recommend enrolling in ​The Impromptu Speakers Academy​. Enrollment closes in 2 days, and doors may not open for a while. This is your opportunity to get hands-on coaching from me for 3 weeks to improve way faster than by yourself. Come now if you want to invest your speaking skills for life.

Hope to see you there.

Preston