Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest

by William Vanderbloemen

Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and Nelson Mandela were famous introverts. All were regarded as likable—at least by the majority of people. The minority here were not exactly on the right side of history. And think of famous present-day introvert (and Houstonian) Beyoncé. She rarely does interviews, she hates speaking in public, but you have to agree that she finds a way to connect with people, nevertheless.

Empathy is an essential component of likability. Like the person who treats the waiter the same as she’d treat the CEO, genuine care for all people will make you liked and respected.

No matter how much power a person has, no matter how confident they appear, “everyone wants you to genuinely show that they matter. All around us are hurting people who want to feel loved and accepted.” If you can make others feel safe and bolstered, you’ll be likable.

“Stay humble and others will like you,” says Scott W. “But stay humble, strong, and rooted, and they will like and respect you.”

It never hurts to invest a bit more time and energy in cultivating likability. Investments pay off.

LIKE THESE TAKEAWAYS! Stop talking. Listening will get you further. Remember, no matter what position we may hold in life, we’re all people trying our best; act accordingly. Being likable is the foundation of relational equity and building a positive reputation for yourself.

Thanks to technology, we can work anytime and anywhere and with anyone. So why aren’t we superproducers? The short answer is that we have too many distractions. You know how Henry David Thoreau was able to write Walden? He lived in the woods. He didn’t have laundry to distract him. Or a phone. I joke, but it’s partly true. Because we have access to anything, anybody, anywhere, it’s harder for us to focus on the task at hand.

Being productive comes down to a few factors: knowing how you work best staying organized valuing outcomes over output

THE IVY LEE METHOD Step 1: Write down six of the most important things you’d like to get done that day. Step 2: Order that list—for some it works best to do the smaller tasks first. For others, getting the big stuff out of the way first is more effective. Step 3: Work through the list. Step 4: Strike through the tasks you’ve completed. Everyone loves the dopamine that comes with crossing off a to-do list, right? Step 5: Repeat.

WHY HIRING MANAGERS LOVE THE PRODUCTIVE Productivity can be tracked, and every manager knows that what gets measured makes the whole team look good. Tips for cultivating productivity at work: Lessen the grasp. This might sound counterintuitive, but studies show that workers are more productive when they are working on their own terms and on a more flexible schedule. Don’t reward productivity with the next project. If a team member completes a task and exceeds expectations, reward that person with time or kudos, not more work. Demonstrate responsible time management. Show respect for everyone’s time by keeping meetings on task and short.

PRODUCTIVE TAKEAWAYS! There’s a difference between productive and busy. Learn it. Everyone has different productivity hacks. Try them all and find what works for you. Track your productivity. This is great for year-end reviews and work-related conversations but also for your own learning on what works best for you. Singing a happy working song helps with productivity. Just make sure your colleagues/forest friends are on board with it.

In 2018 the world was riveted by the story of twelve Thai boys and their soccer coach who had gotten trapped in a cave at a national park. The cave flooded unexpectedly, and when authorities arrived at the entrance and saw the boys’ bikes and shoes, they knew something had gone wrong. Within hours the Thai Navy SEALs were deployed; within days the world had come to help. The Thai cave rescue was one of those rare situations in which the purpose was indisputably clear: rescue the boys. There was no gray area, no political misgivings. Countries rushed to the aid of the Thai authorities. Volunteer cave rescue divers arrived from England. For eighteen days, more than ten thousand purpose-driven people from all around the globe did what they could to support the rescue effort. Locals cooked and did laundry for the volunteers; nearby farmers agreed to have their fields flooded and crops ruined for the sake of diverting water from the cave. Classmates of the boys held vigils, prayed, and made a thousand paper cranes. Dozens of governmental agencies sent aid, top water engineers from Bangkok, and ultimately one hundred volunteer divers, who were on the scene to assist with the miraculous rescue of all thirteen people. The official in charge of the rescue mission was Narongsak Osatanakorn. At the end of the mission, he told reporters, “The mission was successful because we had power. The power of love. Everybody sent it to the thirteen.” If love isn’t the highest of purposes, I don...

Gbowee was a young mom in Liberia, West Africa, when she ended a civil war that had ravaged her country for fourteen years. The brutal civil war was between the president (dictator, really), Charles Taylor, and tribal warlords. Thousands of people had been killed, maimed, and raped, their homes burned, their children forced to be soldiers, their infrastructure and security in ruins. One night, Gbowee had a dream in which God told her to “gather the women and pray!” So she did. Gbowee rallied women in her Lutheran church and then across the country, ordinary Christian and Muslim women who wanted better for themselves and their children. They participated in nonviolent protests for months, including sitting in a field across from the executive residence. Taylor finally agreed to meet with the women and promised that he would attend peace talks. When the peace talks stalled, Gbowee and the hundreds of women who had been peacefully watching from outside the hotel marched to the entrance of the room where the men were meeting. As the men tried to leave, without an agreement, Gbowee announced that the women would not allow the men to leave until a peace agreement had been reached. Within days the peace agreement was complete and on August 18, 2003, the Liberian Civil War ended. In 2011, Gbowee was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Danese C. says, “The why is what pushes me to excel in all the other areas. If there is not a why or a purpose, all is meaningless. True fulfillment is in the why.”

PURPOSE-DRIVEN TAKEAWAYS! Find your why and try to find a workplace that aligns with it. That’s it. The rest will fall into place.

Finally, I thank my wife, Adrienne. Aside from questionable taste in men, she’s simply the best. Thanks for setting the tone and pace for everything that Vanderbloemen has achieved. Thanks most of all for calling great efforts and work out of me that I didn’t realize were there. You are the original and best version of the Unicorn I’ve ever known, and I’m honored to do life and work alongside you.