The Leader Mindset #13

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Amplify Your Leadership with This Simple Mantra: Be Clear, Be Curious, Be Kind

I don’t like admitting it, but we’ve made leadership way too complicated.

All too often, we hand leaders 300-page books on the newest trend, ask them to master the latest frameworks, and then wonder why they feel overwhelmed and unable to apply them.

In our effort to turn leadership into a science (and yes, as a PhD in I/O Psychology, I care about the science😀), we’ve lost sight of the art of leadership—the daily conversations, choices, and challenges leaders face.

The truth is that most leaders don’t need a dozen models. They need a few core principles they can easily remember and readily apply, especially when the pressure is high or the path forward is murky.

That’s why I come back to one simple mantra:

Be clear. Be curious. Be kind.

It’s not flashy. It won’t win points in academic circles. It works because it simplifies what great leaders do every day and in every interaction. When you lead from this foundation, you’re already 90% of the way to becoming the kind of leader people want to follow.

Let’s break it down.

Be Clear 

Sometimes, leaders believe that setting expectations is micromanaging or removing employee empowerment. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Clarity is about providing direction, not dictating every move. It means showing your team the rules of the road so they can drive with confidence.

When clarity is missing, we’ve all seen the consequences. Teams hesitate and second-guess where to focus. People waste time trying to interpret vague expectations, misread feedback, and pursue goals that don’t align. The result? Confusion, frustration, and ultimately, disengagement.

Clarity in action looks like:

• Setting high standards of performance that are specific, visible, and actionable.

• Giving direct, timely feedback—don’t sugarcoat the issues.

• Recognizing and rewarding performance that reinforces expectations.

• Painting a clear picture of success so your team knows what they’re aiming for.

• Sharing metrics that show the team’s impact—are we winning or losing?

• Aligning around priorities and eliminate ambiguity at every opportunity.

As the adage goes, “Clarity is kind.”

Your job as a leader isn’t just to have clarity—it’s to create it. When you do, you reduce friction, accelerate trust, and give your team the confidence to move forward without second-guessing.

Be Curious

Many leaders are promoted because they’re excellent problem solvers. Unfortunately, that strength can become a trap. The first instinct is often to jump in with answers instead of asking questions.

Curiosity keeps us from falling into the trap of assumptions.

When stress is high, it’s easy to stop listening and start telling. We fill in the blanks with our own stories—why someone missed a deadline, how committed they are. We assume we know what’s going on, and those assumptions usually make things worse, not better.

Curious leaders take a different approach. They pause. They ask. They listen—not to fix or judge, but to understand.

Being curious involves:

• Getting others’ input before offering solutions.

• Asking open-ended questions like “Help me understand…” or “What’s your take on this?”

• Listening to genuinely learn, not just to respond.

• Exploring what might be happening beneath the surface.

• Staying open and engaged when things don’t go as planned.

Curiosity isn’t a soft skill—it’s a strategic one. It helps you uncover root causes before they escalate. It builds psychological safety. And it models the kind of openness that makes people feel seen, heard, and valued.

The moment you stop being curious is the moment you stop leading with humility.

Be Kind 

I’m from Nebraska—the land of nice! Let’s be clear: nice isn’t the same as kind.

Nice is avoiding conflict or going along to get along. Kindness is something more profound. It’s about treating people with dignity, even when the conversation is hard. It’s about making space for people’s humanity, so they feel respected.

Being kind shows up as:

• Holding people accountable—and doing it with respect.

• Creating an inclusive environment where people feel they belong.

• Recognizing both effort and impact.

• Showing empathy when people are struggling.

• Keeping your assessment of people objective, not personal.

Kindness doesn’t mean lowering the bar. 

It means raising your awareness of how people experience you as a leader. As we know, when people feel respected, they tend to rise to the occasion.

Simple Steps Any Leader Can Take 

We don’t need to make leadership harder than it is.

If every leader focused on being clear, being curious, and being kind, they’d be off to an incredible start. These actions create alignment, foster trust, and drive performance. More importantly, they’re something any leader can do. They don’t require a new training course to understand.

So, here’s your challenge:

Try leading with this mantra for one week.

At every meeting, in every feedback conversation, and during every tough decision, ask yourself:

Am I being clear? Am I staying curious? Am I leading with kindness?

Leadership doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should always be intentional.

Start with this mantra. You’ll be amazed where you end up.

What do you think? Do you like the simple approach or are complicated leadership frameworks still needed?

Free Resouces

Here is a free checklist to examine how you lead following the mantra: Be Clear, Be Curious, and Be Kind.

Andy Noon, PhD

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Thanks for reading and look forward to seeing you again next week.

Andy