Do you consider yourself a leader? Or a subject matter expert? I believe we are all leaders and have the capacity to lead our best lives every day.  As a leader, you have the power to create a positive impact on the lives of others and achieve great things. But with so many demands on your time and energy, it can be challenging to know where to focus.

The  five leadership focal points that can help you lead a more fulfilling career (and life):

• Clarity
• Energy
• Influence
• Courage
• Productivity

By focusing on these areas, there is proven research in Brendon Burchard’s Book: “High-Performance Habits” that states you can become a more effective leader and achieve your career goals.

1. Clarity

The first step to your next goal is to have clarity. This means knowing what you want to achieve as a leader and why. It also means understanding your values, strengths, and weaknesses.

When you have clarity, you’re able to make better decisions, stay focused on your goals, and motivate others to follow you.

Here are some tips for developing clarity as a leader:

• Set clear and specific goals for yourself and your team.
• Regularly reflect on your goals and values to ensure they are still aligned with your true desires and passions.
• Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.
• Seek feedback from others to get different perspectives on your leadership style and effectiveness.

2. Energy

Without sufficient energy, it’s impossible to be an effective leader. Energy encompasses physical, mental, and emotional vitality.

When you have high energy levels, you’re able to accomplish more, stay engaged under pressure, and inspire others to do their best work.

Here are 3 ways to boost your energy levels as a leader:

• Prioritize self-care: Make time for regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep.
• Manage stress: Practice relaxation techniques, mindfulness, or meditation to reduce stress and recharge your mental energy.
• Surround yourself with positive influences: Spend time with people who uplift and inspire you.

3. Influence:

Influence is the ability to impact the world around you positively. As a leader, your capacity to influence others is essential to achieving your goals and building a successful team.

Here are a few ideas for enhancing your influence as a leader:

• Develop strong communication skills: Effective communication is the key to building rapport and influence.
• Cultivate empathy: Understand the perspectives of others and show genuine care and concern.
• Lead by example: Set a positive example through your actions and behavior.
• Be authentic: Be true to yourself and your values.

4. Courage:

Courage is the willingness to face challenges, take risks, and step outside your comfort zone. It’s a critical factor in personal growth and achieving your goals.

As a leader, you may face unique challenges in your career. But by cultivating courage, you begin to open doors to new adventures and grow beyond your current role.

Here are some ways to cultivate courage as a leader:

• Embrace fear: Recognize that fear is a natural human emotion and use it as a source of motivation.
• Start small: Begin with manageable challenges and gradually work your way up to more significant ones.
• Seek support: Surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, coaches, and peers who believe in you.

5. Productivity:

Productivity is the art of accomplishing more with less. It involves efficient time management, goal setting, and a focus on high-impact tasks.

When you’re productive as a leader, you’re able to achieve your goals more quickly and efficiently, which frees up your time and energy to focus on other important aspects of your career.

Here are some ideas for boosting your productivity as a leader:

• Prioritize tasks: Identify the most important tasks and tackle them first.
• Delegate tasks: Remember to delegate tasks to your team members. This will free up your time so you can focus on the most important things and empower them to step up.
• Eliminate distractions: Create a conducive work environment by minimizing interruptions and distractions. Check out the book “Indistractible” by Nir Eyal for more ideas on focus.
• Use tools and techniques: Explore productivity tools and time-management techniques that work best for you.

Incorporating these five focal points—Clarity, Energy, Influence, Courage, and Productivity—into your career can help you lead a more fulfilling and impactful life.

Remember that personal growth is an ongoing journey, and it’s okay to take small steps toward improvement. Think of ways to challenge yourself in a fun way, like try a new sport (Pickleball?!) or do something outside your comfort zone (Segway tour of a new city?) and start building more courage in your life.