Leadership is an attitude demonstrated in moments of truth. Even in the most difficult situations good leaders stay calm and work jointly on finding and executing the best possible solution. Leadership is a quest of leading yourself to your own highest potential.
This is mainly done through facing the unknown, the aspects of the future, and the environment which make you feel afraid. You should acquire in your profession the technical skills to do just that. But you should acquire in everyday emotional, mental practice to face fear and endure suffering in the process. Leaders have a high energy level, share and adhere to a clear set of values, are balanced and predictable, listen and communicate well, also, lead from the front, inspire to perform, relate, enable – leaders take tough decisions and the blame but share the glory.
Successful leaders are role models for helping others succeed. It is often said that it takes a certain type of person to be a great leader. These individuals exhibit qualities like passion, integrity, a take-charge attitude, and the ability to inspire others. Employers and executives recognize this, and these “born leaders” are often first in line for promotions to leadership roles But, people with leadership potential don’t simply become leaders overnight. It is up to existing leaders to train the next generation, showing them how to guide a group of people toward a specific vision or goal.
To be a good leader, you must be someone who everyone can look up to as people will find inspiration and motivation within you. Being a good example is necessary for people to follow you. There are many things you can do, but before you start you must make a commitment to love leadership and the people you lead. Only then will you be able to strive for better leadership.
The key to leading is being honest, the ability to inspire vision, the ability to take calculated risks, the ability to ask why and look for answers, the ability to teach people, and to sit back and enjoy the ride by celebrating with your team and study and practice. The path to leadership is a personal journey. Some people are thrust into it reluctantly. Others jump into it before they should. Some are slow to take up the yoke. Then some are naturally “in charge” from a young age.
To be a good leader, You cannot become rigid and stagnant in your methods. Each person and team will bring new insights and challenges. The more people and teams you lead, the more you learn. Then one day, before you know it, someone is calling you their Mentor or “The Best Manager” they have ever had.
To become a good leader you need to establish the following traits.
1. Be humble
Being humble may seem like the polar opposite of being a leader, but it is important to stay grounded, rooting out the arrogance in your leadership. No person is self-made, people need to work hard, remember what they have learned from others, and how those lessons have informed the person they are today. Throw praise when it looks like you accomplished something great, but know that it was a team effort.
2. Take accountability for your actions
It is always easier to blame circumstances, or other people when something goes wrong. We are responsible for our life, and the place where we are now is the result of actions we took previously. So, if you are not happy with where you are now, it is your responsibility, to fix it. Also, don’t underestimate yourself, take credit for the good things you do in life.
3. A good leader must be Decisiveness
Effective leaders often learn this lesson the hard way and once they do, they know the value in moving swiftly and confidently, even if they are not entirely certain of their direction because they know any direction is better than no direction. Every effective leader has to learn how to make sound decisions, quickly.
4. Creativity and Imagination
Building a profitable company isn’t the hard part. What’s hard is keeping a company profitable for a decade, two decades, three decades. And what’s even harder is taking a profitable company and doubling its revenue over, and over, and over again. The ability to come up with new ideas and innovations that propel user businesses forward is what allows leaders to stay around for the long term.
5. A leader must be genuine and care about people
We cannot be great leaders if we are fake or otherwise dishonest. People may believe you in the short term if you have a lot of charisma, but eventually, they will see through you and the house of cards will collapse. When a leader shows that they are being honest with those around them, even if being honest is unpleasant at times, they will open up and want to be lead by them.
6. Leaders must always be leading
Leaders know how to balance their work and their personal lives. Many people avoid leadership roles because they are often intimidated by the misconception that leaders need to be working around the clock. Efficient leaders know their limits and know what they can demand from themselves without experiencing burnout. They make time to refuel and step back to relax and reflect.
7. Leadership is synonymous with management
Many managers are leaders, but sometimes, management does not have good leadership make. A manager’s role is to maintain the processes and systems that ensure workflow is moving as it should. Management is task-based, while leadership is more based on inspiration. A leader is more of a visionary, focused on the bigger picture.
8. An openness about building relationships
This is just another way of emphasizing the importance of networking, perhaps, but meeting new people, building relationships, and sharing thoughts and ideas will help you become a better startup leader. You’ll gain more knowledge in your field, and open yourself up to new opportunities.
9. The skill of agility and adaptability
Adapting to change requires the willingness to manage change and to stay open to new ideas, it means to be adaptable to new situations, handle unexpected demands with aplomb, and be ready to pivot at any moment.
10. Leaders must be extroverted
While it is quite often the case that leaders tend to be more outgoing, it’s not always true. When comparing introverted versus extroverted, these terms are often used to describe how outgoing someone is or is not, extroversion is associated with gregariousness, talkativeness, and confidence, while introversion being synonymous with shyness or withdrawal.
When it comes to leadership roles, extroverts tend to be more attracted to those responsibilities due to their eagerness to engage with their team and other colleagues to plan, strategize and solve problems.
In a nutshell, To start moving forward in leadership development, build up a personal network and identify organizational problems and what people think about solving those problems. One old saying involves finding a group of people wandering in the street and get in front of them and to a parade. Further, I know of no leader who had all the answers. But they acted with confidence as they learned as much as they could while keeping the group moving forward.
