Have you dreamed of inspiring others, but hesitation left you in the background while someone else took the limelight? Have you wanted to guide your co-workers, but weren’t sure how? Did you have creative ideas to better your company, but couldn’t find the right opportunity to present them? Within every one of us is the ability to become a leader, a great leader at that, even if you’ve been a follower your whole life. How do you go about accomplishing such a dream?
Let these five essential tips get you started:
1.) Acknowledge Your Style: Every great leader knows their strong points and their not so strong points. What qualities do you possess? Where do you need improvement? Asking yourself these kinds of questions will allow you to analyze what you already know and what you need to learn. A great way to discover this is during the 360 degree feedback process.
2.) Be a Role Model: Without followers, you cannot be a leader. You need to give people a reason to follow your lead. Adapting traits of successful leaders like having a positive attitude, being creative, and believing in others will inspire those around you.
3.) Encourage Teamwork: Leaders motivate and encourage others. They believe in their talents as much as they believe in their own, so don’t take on tasks alone. Letting your co-workers contribute to projects not only shows that you value their efforts, it heightens their self-esteem and that’s a surefire way to boost their work productivity.
4.) Listen and Communicate: Being a great leader means you listen to your co-workers ideas and concerns, you pay attention to what works and what doesn’t, and you openly communicate your thoughts with those around you. You are open to change if it benefits the business and its workers. As for the suggestions that won’t work out, you let these down easy, explain why to your best understanding, and thank them for their contribution.
5.) Stay Educated: A passionate leader doesn’t settle for what they know and just keep rolling with that. They’re always looking for a way to broaden their knowledge in their field, how to expand their creative way of thinking, and any possible way they can learn and help the business grow.
