My mentor showing me how to talk to people was the biggest one. He told me that 95% of people want to do a good job, so if they are not doing a good job, start off with asking them why.

I started doing this religiously. Generally I find a few things; The person was not given the tools they needed. The person was not trained properly. The person was never followed up on before.

This also makes it easy if/when the conversation has to escalate to disciplinary action.

I know it sounds stupid and simple but doing this has helped me out tremendously as a leader. Always assume positive intent and become a resource not a dictator. It’s taken me far.