Why High-Performing Leaders Rely on These 3 Simple Habits
After working with hundreds of leaders and managers, I’ve noticed a surprising pattern: many struggle to foster responsibility and sustain focus on what truly matters. Despite good intentions, priorities drift, decisions are forgotten, and performance issues are often addressed too late.
This challenge shows up in four key ways:
Decisions are made—but forgotten. After six months, leaders realize that many of the priorities they set have faded into the background.
Focus drifts. Crystal-clear priorities are missing, and teams shift from one urgent task to the next without long-term direction.
Performance issues are addressed too late. Instead of proactive course corrections, leaders react only when problems have escalated.
Employees feel undervalued. When there’s little structured follow-up, people may feel that their contributions aren’t as important as they should be.
Modern leadership rightly emphasizes trust and autonomy—leaders give their teams freedom, expecting individuals to take ownership of their responsibilities. And that’s how it should be. But one critical factor is often overlooked: our cognitive system isn’t designed for perfect memory, nor are people naturally structured machines. The reality is that most people:
Struggle to stay structured and focused—especially without external reinforcement.
Get overwhelmed by new tasks—causing important commitments to slip through the cracks.
Need support to maintain priorities—because distractions and shifting demands can easily derail progress.
The 3 Habits of High-Performing Leaders
To help leaders stay focused and drive accountability, I’ve identified three key habits that the most successful leaders and managers integrate into their day-to-day work—whether formally or informally. These come from the Nanohabits Library, where we break down the small, consistent actions that lead to lasting impact.
By embedding these habits into your leadership routine, you can ensure that priorities stay clear, commitments turn into action, and your team operates with structure and purpose.
❶ Structured Performance Reviews:
Conduct recurring performance reviews and reward progress consistently.
A structured performance review cycle creates consistency in evaluating progress, setting expectations, and recognizing achievements. Without a structured review cycle, feedback can become inconsistent, leading to misalignment and unaddressed performance gaps.
Schedule performance reviews at regular intervals—monthly, quarterly, or biannually—to provide employees with clear feedback and development opportunities. Between major reviews, incorporate accountability check-ins to track progress, address challenges, and adjust goals as needed.
Standardizing this process fosters a culture of continuous improvement and fairness, ensuring that feedback is objective, measurable, and actionable. Managers should document performance data, track individual and team progress, and communicate expectations transparently. Encouraging employees to self-assess before formal reviews enhances engagement and ownership of their professional growth.
Benefits of Structured Performance Reviews:
Ensures accountability – Reinforces commitment to responsibilities and standards.
Boosts motivation – Encourages consistent effort through recognition and rewards.
Improves performance – Provides clear, actionable feedback for continuous growth.
📖 Inspired by: Murphy, M. (2020). The Feedback Fix: Dump the Past, Embrace the Future, and Lead the Way to Change. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
❷ Accountability Conversations
Hold structured conversations to track commitments and resolve obstacles.
Accountability conversations are essential for creating a culture of responsibility and trust. Unlike follow-ups, which simply ensure tasks are progressing, these conversations provide a space to discuss commitments, obstacles, and next steps in a collaborative way. By regularly engaging in structured discussions, you encourage transparency, reinforce ownership, and support problem-solving before issues escalate.
Tips for Effective Accountability Conversations:
Set a clear agenda – Focus on progress, roadblocks, and commitments.
Ask open-ended questions – "What challenges are preventing progress?" or "What support do you need to move forward?"
Create a safe space – Encourage honest dialogue without fear of blame.
Encourage self-reflection – Prompt employees to assess their progress before the discussion.
Reinforce accountability – Follow up consistently on previous action items.
Shift from problems to solutions – Guide conversations toward actionable next steps.
Recognize responsible behavior – Celebrate successful outcomes to reinforce positive habits.
Benefits of Accountability Conversations:
Encourages proactive problem-solving – Identifies challenges early instead of reacting to failures.
Strengthens responsibility – Reinforces that commitments and follow-through matter.
Builds trust – Positions accountability as a shared commitment rather than an enforcement tool.
Improves adaptability – Allows real-time course corrections rather than waiting for formal reviews.
Enhances team alignment – Keeps everyone focused on shared goals and expectations.
📖 Inspired by: Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. Jossey-Bass.
❸ Follow-Up in Leadership
Ensure commitments are met through structured progress tracking.
Follow-up keeps key objectives visible, prevents priority drift, and ensures teams stay aligned. It is a leader-driven habit focused on monitoring tasks, projects, and commitments to ensure timely execution. When done well, follow-up reinforces accountability, keeps critical work from slipping through the cracks, and ensures teams stay focused on priorities.
Follow-up is not about micromanagement—it’s about providing the right level of oversight to ensure progress without creating friction. Leaders who follow up consistently demonstrate commitment to both the work and the people doing it, strengthening trust and communication.
Tips for Effective Follow-Up:
Use a structured system – Weekly reports, status meetings, or progress dashboards.
Focus on outcomes – Track progress against clear objectives, not just effort.
Identify and address roadblocks – Help remove barriers to execution.
Reinforce priorities – Regular check-ins prevent important tasks from being forgotten amid new demands.
Strike the right balance – Too much follow-up can feel like micromanagement, too little can lead to misalignment.
Benefits of Follow-Up:
Ensures accountability – Reinforces commitment to responsibilities and standards.
Strengthens relationships – Demonstrates care and builds trust through consistent engagement.
Maintains momentum – Keeps projects on track and reduces procrastination.
📖 Inspired by: Blanchard, K., & Thacker, J. (2019). Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High-Performing Organizations (3rd ed.). FT Press.
Final Thoughts: Small Habits, Big Impact
Great leadership isn’t about making big decisions—it’s about turning those decisions into action. By embedding these three habits into your daily leadership approach, you create a structured, accountable, and high-performing team.
These habits—along with many others—are available in the Nanohabits App, along with tools that help you anchor them into your everyday life. Leadership isn’t just about knowing what to do; it’s about consistently applying the right habits in a way that sticks. That’s where small, structured habits make a lasting difference.