Highly Effective Leaders Have Better Habits. What Are They?

Back in September 2021, I had Brad Lomenick on the show. So today, I’ve been thinking about what Brad taught me that day that I’ve taken into my life and now practice in daily life about highly effective leaders with better habits.

Brad Lomenick has a great book that everyone should read called “H3 Leadership: Be Humble. Stay Hungry. Always Hustle,” which helps leaders focus on building the needed leadership skills of today. And I feel that the words Humble, Hungry, and Hustle give people a way to build their lives in a specific direction.

Everybody loves to hear their name. Everybody wants to feel like you know them. You’re actually honoring people when you do that and do it well. – Brad Lomenick

Highly Effective Leaders Have a Habit of Knowing People’s Names

One thing I was really impressed with was the fact that Brad went into his first-grade class and memorized everyone’s name by the end of the day. Knowing everyone’s name put him at the top right, to begin with. Of course, as Brad tells it, no one told him to do that; he just did it. But that one thing made a difference in his life, and it will make a difference in yours.

I know learning names is essential in leadership and life, but I had to learn this lesson in my life; it didn’t just happen naturally without any work. You’ll want to intentionally know names.

Brad Lomenick calls it “intentionality.” One thing Brad said is that you remember people’s names if they are important to you — and you’ll remember someone’s name if you change your mindset.

Let People Off the Hook — Say Your Name

I told Brad that I always tell people my name, and more than once if I feel the need. I don’t want people stressing about this — so I let them off the hook. I say, “my name is Justin, but if you forget, feel free to ask me again.” There is always a ton of people that need to be remembered at meetings, and I don’t want them uncomfortable with the process.

Like, start thinking differently when you meet someone. Consider: you are important to me; you have value. I thought I was good at names before — but Brad’s thought process flipped my mindset and changed how I remember names — Thank you, Brad.

Willing to Step Up and Help People Connect the Dots

Brad Lomenick talks in the podcast about learning leadership skills wherever he went, even in sports, and how validating that was as a younger kid. It’s like he can look back and look for breadcrumbs in his life that helped him become aware of essential lessons early. Life didn’t just happen to Brad — he was intentional enough to look at and analyze his life with a proactive plan.

I called it his “God-given talents in the world of human capital.” Brad connects through as many message portals as possible. His book is a fantastic read with down-to-earth examples you can pick up and immediately incorporate into your life.

Brad wants to be “perfect” in name remembering. So he doesn’t just let things go. If he is in a meeting (or wherever), he writes the name down. Most of us don’t even try to get the name piece of the puzzle correct. If you are on Zoom — no one can see that you have these written down, so why not use that to your advantage?

Exercise Emotional Intelligence to Make it Easier for People

“I’m always trying to figure out, how do I make this easier for the person that I’m trying to connect to, to be able to connect with me. That’s empathy. It’s emotional intelligence. It’s putting yourself in their shoes and saying, how should they feel? How do you want them to feel? Do they walk away from an interaction with you and do they say, ‘That was awesome,’ or do they say, ‘Never again?’” – Brad Lomenick

Humble, Hungry, Hustle — a Framework and Leadership Mantra

Like humble, we get that for the most part. It’s not about me. There’s a bigger story at play. I’m not the center of it. You know, hungry is being a learner. And then hustle is that sense of work hard when needed. But they all have to be parallel. — Brad Lomenick

Brad and I talked about many leaders we know who don’t have any humility in them. They work their guts out, but it’s all about them. Both Brad and I feel strongly that we are here on this Earth to help other people, and we want to live that story.

We talked about how you can set up boundaries and the guardrails to protect yourself from overworking or being a workaholic. This is all part of the message of leadership and lifestyle.

The Mindset of the Lifestyle Investor

Brad Lomenick mentioned that he didn’t figure the lifestyle stuff out until later in life. We had similar college experiences where we both thought, “Work like crazy, get your paycheck, and stay on that treadmill — and there is no other option.”

But there is a world out there where you learn what type of lifestyle you will work for. Brad mentions how he had to create his own economy, and then he gets to choose what to work on within his environment and season. He tells about how that Oklahoma kid got to go to Australia and New Zealand as an 18 year and how that was a game-changer for his entire life.

Somehow I missed that the first time around with Brad. But it tells me now that we need to create great experiences for kids where they can see great things at a young age. But please listen to the podcast where Brad tells about his trip to Australia and New Zealand — thinking that he knew it all on that high school trip. Totally epic! Then — what he wished he had known way back then.

Today I’m reflecting on the times in my life when I’ve “missed it.” And how I can make sure not to miss those opportunities again. Like remembering that there are times when you are in the presence of greatness — and you don’t realize it. How can you make sure that you don’t miss those opportunities? I know for a fact — that this is life in general — we miss many things.

Don’t Beat Yourself Down — Be Grateful You Learned it Now

It was exciting when Brad Lomenick said that he wished he had known back then what a critical moment he was in at the time. I have been through that thought process so many times.

You think: “Oh, man, I wish I knew that when,” and you can beat yourself down with it, or you can be grateful that you’ve learned it now and you’ve learned it today. That is my advice for everyone I care about. You learned it now — and good for you.

Other things covered in the podcast are how to make your Hustle sustainable and how to make people want to help you succeed—all fantastic topics. Please listen.

Image Credit: by August de Richelieu; Pexels; Thank you!