When my father-in-law died, I cleaned out his garage. In it was an early 1900s toolbox. The box contained 6 tools. My toolbox has hundreds. The lesson: In today's world, we overcomplicate everything. Including leadership. There are only a few tools you need to lead well:

Clear Expectations: People want to do a good job. Sure, some don't. There are bad apples. Most people, though, derive satisfaction from a job well done. A leader's role: Tell them what a good job looks like.

Most performance problems aren't performance problems. They're expectation problems. And stating expectations once isn't enough. They must be repeated, clarified, and adjusted over time. Can those you lead clearly explain what you expect from them? If not, start there.

Genuine Care: I spent years training leaders in Fortune 500 companies. I asked 2 questions to 100s of people: - Who is the best leader you've ever worked for? - What made them the best? The most common answer: "They cared about me."

We give so much of our lives to work. We want it to be a place we are: - Known - Appreciated - Seen as a whole person Care can be faked. Genuineness can't. Leaders who genuinely care, win. Win commitment. Win effort. Win long-term followers.

Helpful Feedback: Feedback is important. It's required for growth. But not all feedback is helpful. No one likes being nit-picked by over-critical leaders. At best, it's distracting noise. At worst, it's hostile and defeating.

Leaders must be laser-focused on the person receiving feedback. Goal: see them get better. Not: make you feel better. I ask 2 questions to pre-screen feedback: - Who will this help? - How will this help? If I can answer easily, I give it. If not, I wait until I can.

Authenticity: I worked for a billionaire CEO. We had a huge corporate campus. I once saw him crawl into the bushes and emerge holding a piece of trash. As the leader, you can talk culture... Or you can stop and pick up trash. Which is louder?

Culture is a mirror. It reflects what the leader values. Not what they say they value ⏤ What they show they value. Great leaders don't just talk culture, They embody it. Authentically.

A Smile: A CEO shared with me his most important job each day: To smile. He also told me a hard truth: When you're the leader, no one cares about the day you're having. They only care about whether or not you smile when you pass them in the hall.

As simple as it sounds, He understood that a smile isn't a smile. It's a non-verbal cue signaling people that: - Everything is okay - Their job is secure - You're glad to have them - They can trust you A smile sets a positive tone. And it's a tone people respond to.

In nature, given the right conditions, things thrive naturally. A simple plan to lead well ⏤ Create an environment where people naturally thrive: - Set clear expectations - Genuinely care - Give helpful feedback - Embody the culture - Smile Simple. Not easy, but simple.

Thanks for investing your time in my thread. If it helped you, I'd be grateful if you'd: •Retweet the first tweet so others find it too •Follow me @wdmorrisjr ⏤ it encourages me to keep writing!

@wdmorrisjr "In today's world, we overcomplicate everything." Damn, if that isn't the truth! Great thread.

@blakeaburge There's so much clarity in simplicity. In every aspect of life.

@wdmorrisjr The billionaire picking up the trash is epic. Take pride and ownership!

@barrettjoneill Had a huge impact on me! Demonstrating extreme ownership and no task being beneath you sets an incredible tone in anything you lead.

@wdmorrisjr Culture isn’t for talking, it’s for showing. Great example of that! Only when showing and talking align is it engrained.

@KurtisHanni Very well said! Always have to think in terms of how your actions are perceived by those around you. Biggest mistake we make as leaders is not being aware of the conclusions drawn by those observing what we do and whether or not it lines up with what we say.

@wdmorrisjr @blakeaburge This is great thank you! My greatest success as a leader came from genuinely caring about the people on my team. I just left one company, and one woman said to me “you were the best supervisor I have ever had - because you cared about me” Such a compliment!

@PenTechnician @blakeaburge Scott - that is a HUGE compliment. I was shocked that genuine care was the thing that had the biggest impact on people - more than vision, results, etc. It's a difference maker!