Leadership Manners- Back to the Basics, Forward with Intention

In the hustle of meetings, metrics, and making things happen, it’s easy to forget something simple but essential: our manners.

The same ones we were taught as kids:

• Say please and thank you.

• Don’t take what doesn’t belong to you.

• Speak respectfully of others.

• Clean up your mess.

• Don’t slam doors or stomp around.

• Don’t throw a fit when you don’t get your way.

• And perhaps most importantly, treat others the way they want to be treated.

Somewhere along the path to leadership, these basics can slip. Deadlines take priority over decency. Ego drowns out empathy. Stress excuses sharp words.

But here’s the truth: manners aren’t about politeness. They’re about presence. They signal respect, awareness, and self-leadership. And when those slip, so does your credibility.

Leadership is how you carry out your vision. How you treat people in the hallway. How you speak when no one’s watching. How you respond when things don’t go your way.

So consider this your reminder: mind your manners. Not to be nice. Not to be liked. But to be intentional in how you show up, because character is revealed in the smallest moments.

Real leadership is built there.

Back to basics. Forward with intention.