Leicester City English Premier League Champions. No doubt this is the headline that most people will have woken up to this morning. What a remarkable achievement, 5000/1 outsiders at the start of the season. When they appointed their manager Claudio Ranieri, the decision was met with much derision. Now he is being heralded as being the man to lead an unfancied team to one of the greatest achievements in sport. While reading all things Leicester this morning it dawned on me what I was reading had a direct connection with my work. The very foundations of coaching are built on taking a successful model and applying it to a different field. It really doesn’t matter what the activity is, the same blueprint should measure up.

Everyone should have someone they admire, look up to, or imitate. These are people who set the standards, and then raise the bar higher. No matter what field you work in you should be able to find your model, they don’t necessarily have to be a sporting leader, they could be from a political background, or a business background. What they will be is a leader in their field. People like Sir Alex Ferguson, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and many others are all trailblazers, but at some point you can be sure they were exactly like you and looking for a mentor who inspired them. All their belief systems will have been influenced by those around them. My advice is to find someone who inspires you, it might be a friend, an ex-colleague or just someone you have read about. I would suggest you study them and take on board some of the attributes that made them the successful people they are today.

While all of this is helpful, it’s only applicable if you are still finding out what kind of leader you are. Awareness is key. Everyone in your organisation is going to take their cues from you. Starting at the bottom pulsing its way right to the top. Every decision you make will affect the lives of those people. There has to be a fluency and continuity to the organisation. You will need to build from the bottom up. Building an organisation that has a common goal is no easy task. A little of the simple things will take you long way. Honesty, humility and integrity can be given in abundance. These are traits that should be defacto to you, there can be no moral shortcuts. Telling the truth can be ugly and confrontational, however it will keep your feet grounded in reality. You will face situations where you need to accept being on the receiving end.

Be your own person, but be mindful that your words and the choices you make will affect the decisions of the people around you, the duality of this is that their decisions will affect how your organisation runs. No one likes to be criticised, encouragement and direction will foster a much better spirit and atmosphere. Set and maintain high standards, those standards will filter right down through the organisation. People will expect the same from their colleagues. No one should ever forget how important it is to have a strong work ethic. Allow delegation, trust the people you have employed, essentially they are a direct extension of you. Learn the art of observation, you will greatly benefit from learning from other people around you as well. The skills they bring to the organisation will help you in the long run. Leaders tend to believe this takes away from their power, when in fact it empowers them.

Finally, never stop evolving. Your environment is constantly changing. New technologies, new people, new processes. You need to ADAPT to all these variables, don’t resist change, embrace it. Don’t sit back and admire your achievements find ways to improve on them. You will always find ways to better yourself and your organisation. More important than anything is to BELIEVE in yourself. Believe in your decision making and believe in those around you.