At Davidoff, each of our team members practices continuous self-improvement.

To the extent that you and your people are learning and developing as leaders, your organization will become increasingly Mission-Driven and together you will grow as Mission-Drivers.

This is not easy work. Think of it as a muscle that most of us don’t use.  It takes training to identify what our gaps are, and self-confrontation is going to be uncomfortable when you first start. However, we cannot improve if we don’t admit we have areas to improve in.  

Here are eight qualities of Mission-Driven leaders:

1. Look for external and internal measures of success: Mission-Drivers assess more than just external metrics of success. They also look at internal measures and metrics: how much are they developing their own leadership and how do they measure the results? Do they have a plan for developing their team — including continually addressing and providing training to identify their blind spots? As a whole, is the organization growing and developing? What is the immediate and long-term impact?
2. Make it One Team: Mission-Drivers are focused on the development of their human capital, from the C-suite to the mailroom. They expect everyone to contribute to the organization’s mission and they inspire this kind of engagement.
3. Strive for continuous learning: Mission-Drivers create a learning culture for their teams, including the idea that failure is a key pathway to successful innovation.
4. Focus on others’ needs: Mission-Drivers know that the highly satisfied team member is critical to a high-performing organization. They actively seek the perspectives of their employees and colleagues.
5. Take risks of multiple kinds: Mission-Drivers take risks with telling truths and providing direct feedback. They listen to things they don’t necessarily want to hear and look for what they can learn from the feedback.
6. Embrace a “no stone unturned” approach: Mission-Drivers consistently look everywhere for pathways and barriers to success and rally their teams to look for and implement better solutions.
7. Question everything: Mission-Drivers create a culture of “constructive dissatisfaction” where everyone in their organization is expected to question the status quo and look for blind spots that, when addressed, will move missions forward.
8. Share inspiring stories and examples: Mission-Drivers inspire their organizations and outsiders by sharing stories of leaders like Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher.

To get the most out of this list, we suggest you adopt these qualities one at a time. Don’t try to implement them all at once. Instead, do an inventory of where you see yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 for each. Pick the one you’re most excited about as a starting point. Then identify a daily practice to strengthen your leadership capacity as a Mission-Driver.

Also, share this list with your team and invite them to do the same. If you’re all-in about leading change in your organization, set up a structure where you meet together once a week and discuss what you’re noticing as you take on your new practices  – – where you’ve had wins, and where you’re seeing places you need more tools for development.