How to Be a Leader
Anyone can be a leader, leadership is not merely a position – it's a way of thinking – it's a mindset.
What does it take for someone to be a leader? Some people believe that you must be born with it. While it may be true that some people possess a natural ability towards leadership, it can be learned. Like anything else, you get better at it with practice.
Anyone can be a leader, whether it’s your official job title or not. Leadership is not merely a position – it's a way of thinking – it's a mindset. – Victoria Parham, Life Coach Click To TweetTable of Contents
Model the Way
One of the key features of a leader is to lead by example. Our society has gotten too used to the idea that leaders simply bark orders at people. They expect people to follow those orders without the willingness to do the tasks themselves. Leaders need to be the captains of the ship and be willing to go down with the ship.
Take Responsiblity
Another role of a leader is to take responsibility for your actions. Don’t pass the blame onto others. If you assume or accept a leadership role, then you will be looked upon to guide those you lead. Own up to your mistakes and figure out alternative courses of action when needed.
Make the Vision Plain
A leader should also have a vision for their organization. You should know what you are trying to accomplish and figure out how you are going to get there. To continue with the captain of the ship analogy, you need to map out a route to take the ship.
Stay Curious – your best leaders are always learning something. Seek knowledge in everything you do because the more you know, the more you'll grow, and the more prepared you'll be for whatever life throws at you. – Victoria Parham, Life… Click To TweetBe Confident
When you are leading others, you need to display confidence. When people view you as a confident leader, they will do whatever you ask of them. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Be careful not to confuse the two even though they sometimes can cross.
Mistakes are Inevitable
Leaders are allowed to make mistakes. How they recover from those mistakes defines their ability to lead. If you hide from the problem, you will lose the confidence that others have placed in you.
Face up to the adversity of the situation and figure out how to handle it. This can require some tough decisions, but that is part of the role of the leader.
Don't be Afraid to Ask for Help – a great leader is confident in their own ability lead, so much so that they know when to seek out others for help when they need it. Never mistake a leader as a jack of all trades. – Victoria Parham, Life… Click To TweetHear What they are Saying
Leaders should listen to the people they are leading. If you take the approach that you are always right, you will set the stage for a group of yes people. What this means is you will need to be responsible for every decision, even the ones that you thought you were delegating.
Hire the right people and let them do their jobs. Listen to their concerns. Listening to others does not imply caving into their demands. You simply need to take what others say into consideration.
4 Key Steps to Effective Leadership
Leadership is a valuable skill that everyone from any vocation or background can use for their benefit and the benefit of others. Discover the leader in you with these four key steps:
- Strive for excellence. Part of being a successful leader is your ability to set the bar for others. You can be a good role model by constantly seeking ways to improve yourself and aspire to excellence.
• A hallmark of leadership is excellence. Work on honing your existing skills and developing new ones.
- Focus on your vision and set goals. Consider what you want to accomplish in different areas of your life. Set goals that will help you to achieve your vision.
• Set goals where you are able to periodically measure your performance and progress.
• Break up larger goals into smaller ones so that you can celebrate your successes and maintain your motivation.
• Learn to identify and use all of your resources in the pursuit of your goals. When making plans to reach your goal, always work with the resources you have in your current circumstances, rather than developing plans based on resources and circumstances that you wish were reality.
• Be willing to refine your plans and ultimate goals based on your progress as well as your dreams.
- Develop your people skills. Leaders are known for their ability to inspire others to work towards a common goal. To be successful at inspiring others to work with you, it’s important to develop your people skills and emotional intelligence.
• Learn how to listen. Doing so helps to establish a connection and build camaraderie and trust, so others are more likely to follow your lead and help you.
• Help others to be their best. Part of being a good leader is motivating others towards positive change.
• Seek input from others when discussing goals and plans to reach your objectives. Give others a stake in the results by seeking their opinion. They’ll be more motivated to help you.
- Be passionate and maintain a positive attitude. Most of us take cues from others in social situations, so you can teach others to have a positive attitude and to be passionate in their efforts by doing so yourself.
• Maintaining an upbeat attitude and giving your best effort help to energize the entire team so everyone is able to accomplish more, regardless of the circumstances.
Taking the time to invest in becoming an effective leader can radically increase the amount of success that you experience in all areas of your life. These tips can help you to hone your leadership skills so that you can achieve your goals and enjoy a more satisfying life.
Additional Sources:
10 Tips for Becoming a Better Leader – By Kendra Cherry – VeryWellMind.com
Enroll in a Course – Grit, Drive, and Hustle
Enroll in a Course – Women in Leadership
Victoria Parham (VP) is a woman of compassion, vision, faith, and purpose, she believes in meeting people where they are in their lives and offers a no-nonsense approach in her message, training, and coaching style.
Outspoken, wise, direct, thoughtful, and sometimes provocative, her message is always with love and respect. Victoria knows from her own experiences that we all have the power within us to make decisions and choices that can lead to living an authentic life that is enriching, filled with purpose, personal satisfaction, on-going growth, joy, and gratitude.Victoria believes that when we discover who we truly are, only then can we become our most authentic selves.
Outspoken, wise, direct, thoughtful, and sometimes provocative, her message is always with love and respect. Victoria knows from her own experiences that we all have the power within us to make decisions and choices that can lead to living an authentic life that is enriching, filled with purpose, personal satisfaction, on-going growth, joy, and gratitude.Victoria believes that when we discover who we truly are, only then can we become our most authentic selves.
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