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Even as you display the behaviors and competencies of a leader, you still need to stay out of the mire and accelerate your impact. Even the best leaders fall into a trough and must find a way to re-energize and re-focus. High-impact leaders invest in five key strategies: 1. High-impact leaders accelerate their impact, knowing they have the right priorities in the first place, by limiting their targets and focusing on the vital few three to five key strategies. 2. High-impact leaders know that one of their vital few commitments must be investing in this human capital. 3. Developing others is a high ROI behavior. 4. They encourage tinkering with processes and products. 5. High-impact leaders know they don't live to work.

EVEN AS YOU DISPLAY THE BEHAVIORS and competencies of a leader, you still need to stay out of the mire and accelerate your impact. Even the best leaders fall into a trough and must find a way to re-energize and re-focus.

As we look at a day in the life of high-impact leaders, we see that they invest in five key strategies:

1. Focus. They arrive at work daily clear on the strategic transformation at which they must succeed. Eighty percent of their day is focused on the vital few priorities necessary to move the transformation agenda forward: communicating rationale, celebrating shortterm wins, empowering coalitions of other leaders to keep moving. The day-to-day urgencies draw the other 20 percent of the day. However, because they have created leaders at all levels, there are fewer exigencies.

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Busy is the enemy of accomplishment. High performers often have too many priorities because they feel they can cover more ground. High-impact leaders accelerate their impact, knowing they have the right priorities in the first place, by limiting their targets and focusing on the vital few three to five key strategies. By narrowing the field of impact, and then accomplishing something, leaders give hope, demonstrate movement, and energize others.

Great leaders regularly cull their commitments. Quarterly they look over their commitments and give up some. Cutting one meeting a week enables them to reinvest time and energy around the vital few priorities.

2. Relationship capital. People, not plans, deliver outcomes. Trust, encouragement, appreciation, coaching, and information are the raw materials of human effort. High-impact leaders know that one of their vital few commitments must be investing in this human capital. Leaders don't lord over their associates to manage effort-they create availability to keep passion high and course corrections timely. How much of your time do you commit to being live in the bullpen where the action is-not to manage, but to invest in relationships? Amazing communication opportunities arise when you move among teams, reinforcing focus and showing interest in their efforts. Developing trust is a hands-on investment. People need to see the "person behind the position." So, be open about who you are, where you see the organization going, and hear out people's questions, fears, and ideas.

3. Develop others. Developing others is a high ROI behavior. This is not training. Showing an earnest interest in helping people grow, expressing appreciation in their learning and accomplishments, and helping them find greater opportunity to learn at workthis is how leadership succession becomes real. Development occurs best when applied to the challenges and opportunities of current work. In leadership development program, leaders can be seen teaching, mentoring, coaching, and advising people. Developing others also grows their competencies in communication, employee engagement, innovative thinking and leading change.

4. Permission to tinker. Why do high-impact leaders have so many breakthrough ideas? Why do they have more creative, innovative initiatives? Because they create a climate where people are comfortable challenging assumptions. Rather than being defensive when their ideas or processes are questioned, they appreciate the possibilities. They also encourage tinkering with processes and products. They encourage people to experiment and create a climate of "how can we improve" thinking.

5. Balance. High-impact leaders know they don't live to work. Despite investing long hours when required, they also navigate the work-life dilemma by making their family and personal growth time meaningful. Most high-impact leaders have a personal health regimen, build time in their year to recharge their energy, and make and keep learning commitments.

Are you waiting for permission to lead with high impact? If so, act now-you don't need permission!

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