Steal these ideas from leaders like Steve Kerr and Kendra Scott—and see the impact by Friday
If you’re like most leaders, your days are packed. And as a result, you keep putting your own development on the backburner. Frankly, you don’t have time to master a framework or listen to an audiobook.
But I bet you have a couple of minutes each day!
That’s why we’ve been filling our YouTube channel with lots of “shorts” – quick-hit ideas and insights from world-class leaders like Steve Kerr and Kendra Scott. The idea is to help you fold these into your busy day instead of thinking of your own development as something you’ll get around to “when things slow down.” (They never do!)
Today, I want to feature a few of these shorts for you. Each one of them offers an actionable tip you can take straight into your next meeting or strategy session.
Watch these quick tips and see which one will help you solve a problem, support your team better, or lead more confidently this week.
Tip #1: Make your big goal visible
🎙 Steve Kerr, Head Coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors
If you and your team are working toward a big goal this year, you’re going to love this tip from Steve Kerr—especially if you’re not making the progress you want.
When Steve came in as head coach, the Golden State Warriors had been last in the league in total passes per game. He knew that if he could get that number up, they’d win more games. So he set a goal of 300 passes per game, and then after every game, he’d write the number on the board.
Making that number visible elevated its importance and tapped into the team’s natural drive. And it worked. One season later, they were #1 in the league for total passes per game—and NBA Champions.
This tip is for leaders who want to:
- Hit goals more often
- Up the motivation levels on their team
- Keep focus on what matters most
Try it this week:
Choose one big goal and put it somewhere visible: a whiteboard, Slack channel, or daily huddle.
Tip #2: Cut unnecessary complexity
🎙 Kendra Scott, founder and executive chairwoman at Kendra Scott
Every business needs strong systems and processes, but too much of it will tank your creativity and agility.
Kendra Scott believes leaders need to protect their teams from any unnecessary complexity, so she scans for any rules or processes that are bogging down the team. For her, it’s not just about making people more efficient, but also about making them feel more empowered.
This tip is for leaders who want to:
- Build trust and autonomy with their team
- Boost ownership
- Make their team more efficient and agile
Try it this week:
Ask your team: “What’s one process that feels more complicated than it needs to be?” Then, pick one low-risk thing to streamline or eliminate.
Tip #3: Define accountability, not just responsibility
🎙 Scott Boatwright, CEO of Chipotle
Nobody wants to underperform. But sometimes, people simply aren’t clear on what’s expected of them. And let’s face it: it’s hard to hit the mark if you don’t know where it is.
The result of this ambiguity is that problems get passed around without anyone truly owning it. And that always ends up affecting the bottom line.
At Chipotle, CEO Scott Boatwright solves this by defining clear accountabilities for every role.
Across the whole organization, he and his team have set the top five accountabilities for each position. So when an issue comes up, they know many people might contribute to solving it — but only one role is ultimately accountable.
This tip is for leaders who want to:
- Remove ambiguity
- Increase ownership
- Drive better, faster problem-solving
Try it this week:
Pick one goal or recurring issue. Ask: “Who is ultimately accountable for this?” Then, review whether that person has the support and clarity to deliver.
Tip #4: Ask the question that opens doors
🎙 Frank Blake, former CEO of Home Depot
You know a lot about the people and projects you’re leading, but you know you don’t know everything. Sometimes, it’s hard to get people to speak up about what’s not working.
Frank Blake found a great tip to solve this problem and get to the heart of what’s going on inside your organization. Simply ask someone on your team: “Can you tell me why project X isn’t working?”
Even if you’re not sure there is a problem, this question creates a powerful moment of permission. You’re signaling openness and curiosity, not judgment. And that simple phrasing gives people room to tell the truth.
This tip is for leaders who want to:
- Surface hidden issues before they become problems
- Empower people to speak up
- Show their team they’re listening
Try it this week:
Ask this question to a few people this week about a project, process, or area of the business. Then, listen without interruption or defensiveness.
Tip #5: Reconnect with your reason to lead
🎙 Ken Bacon, Cofounder and Managing Partner at RailField Partners and former EVP at Wells Fargo
You know as well as I do: leadership is demanding. If you don’t know why you’re doing it, it’s easy to lose your way.
Ken Bacon’s advice is to reflect on why you want to lead and what you want to accomplish. When you understand your motivations, it can clarify your own career path and decisions.
After all, if you don’t know what success looks like, you can end up chasing after everything—or even going after things for the wrong reasons.
This tip is for leaders who want to:
- Make better career decisions
- Stay grounded when challenges hit
- Get “unstuck” in their own motivation
Try it this week:
Take 10 minutes and write your answer to this question: “Why do I want to lead?” Share it with a mentor, coach, or close colleague.
Every one of these insights shows how much can change when you pause, reflect, and try one new thing. Whether it’s simplifying a process, making a goal more visible, or asking a better question—those small moves compound over time.
And it proves the point: you don’t need hours of free time to grow as a leader. You just need a few intentional minutes.
If you like learning this way, you’ll love the How Leaders Lead app.It’s built for busy leaders: quick, actionable videos and podcast clips. No ads, no cost, no catch. Just a few minutes a day to become the leader I know you can be!
You’ll also find more of these shorts on our YouTube channel, so follow along there if you prefer.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! Which of these tips will you try this week? Drop me a note in the comments and let me know!
Your Next Step
Make the How Leaders Lead app part of your daily leadership routine! It’s 100% free to download and use, no catch.