You are already a leader and all good leaders know that there is always room for improvement. Here is the LEAD way to improving your leadership stock.
Learn
Take a step back and think about all the leaders that you admire. Do you realize that they all exhibit a capacity for knowledge and thought far beyond the average person’s? We turn to leaders because they are repositories of information who know how and when to apply that wealth of knowledge.
Learn to learn. If you are bad at something, take a course and improve yourself. Use every failure and setback as an opportunity to understand what does not work. Work on your Emotional Quotient (EQ), too. Be the person that others turn to for guidance because your solutions are rooted in logic and fact.
Exhibit
While words are certainly a source of inspiration, we take cues from the behaviors of our leaders, too. As a good leader, you must understand that your conduct both at work and outside is not just your business. What you do creates unwritten guidelines in the minds of others who look up to you.
Emulate the leaders who you admire as a starting point. Use your organization’s mission statement to guide you as well. Good leaders are good listeners, curious about the world, lifelong learners, and always ready to express gratitude. Exhibit these traits.
Assist
It may not be pleasant to acknowledge but people are selfish because nature has designed us for self-preservation. We are instinctively drawn to people, places and situations which will benefit us. Use that to your advantage by being the person who brings value to the lives of others.
It is important that you not view this as an “I am helping” exercise but rather as an investment of your time and energy in the people that you are helping. Leaders can be many things to many people so your assistance may take the form of advice, a helping hand, or even just a listening ear.
Direct
Good leaders are constantly working towards prime objectives and it is evident in their actions as well as their words. Having a purpose is not just good for you but it can also serve as an agent of motivation and inspiration for your team and the world beyond.
Take, for example, Elon Musk and his Space X venture. While he has set himself an audaciously challenging target, his vision and leadership have become a beacon of hope and excitement for people who will never meet him or work for his company. They are simply driven by the momentum that Musk has set in motion. Ready to learn how to be a leader? Contact me today. I’d love to help.
