An important part of success in life is the ability to lead. It is important that we not only be able to lead others but be willing to lead ourselves. No one succeeds in life by simply following others. Sometimes we simply must strike a bold new path for ourselves.
Being a good leader is more than simply being at the forefront of the crowd. A leader must act. Too often, we simply accept that someone looks or sounds like a leader and too rarely do we actually look at the actions that leader performs — and that is the true test of leadership.
In order to become good leaders ourselves, we need to concentrate on actions rather than simple appearances. As I walk you through the eight steps of becoming a successful leader, I don’t want you to think of these as progressive steps like so many recipes or instruction manuals describe. Instead, think of these as actions that you must take on a regular basis.
Be alert to new potentials
“Reality” is not absolute but rather subject to constant change. Think about inventors, explorers, and agents of social change who have achieved greatness. Some might simply say that certain people are successful because they are lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Maybe so, but if they hadn’t had their eyes open for the opportunity, then it wouldn’t have mattered if they were in the right place.
Accept inspiration from wherever it comes.
The wisest leaders constantly study their competition. If you want to be a leader of positive change don’t fall victim to exploiting your competitions weakness. Instead, when you find a weakness, make sure to avoid the same pitfall yourself. If you find the strength, then find a way to strengthen your own qualities to match.
Always be learning.
This means you must continually seek to expand your horizons, internally and externally. Feed your mind with new lessons and knowledge, but constantly expand your social horizons as well. Seek out and meet new people and immerse yourself in new social situations. You never know when these new experiences will help you expand your team and business.
Search for and find answers in subtle clues.
Look beneath the surface and constantly question. This is an extension of the third step in that you are seeking new knowledge. But this also means that you will need to step off the traditional paths of knowledge. Don’t simply read books in the literary canon or the bestsellers list. Take seminars rather than classes as there is more room for questioning and debate. Seek out unconventional thinkers, teachers, and writers.
Get creative with problem solving.
No excuses. Necessity is the mother of invention. How do you know it won’t work if you’ve never tried it before? Remember, not all approaches need to come from the front. Look at your problem from all sides and systematically attempt different solutions in various combinations.
Make at least one person you care about happy every day.
If you make it a point to be thoughtful and caring for one person every day then soon this thoughtful, caring behavior will become a habit and that habit will spread to the others around you. Making someone else happy also feeds your own personal happiness. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we all did a little bit more to spread happiness.
Off help, even if there’s no apparent advantage to you.
We all have times in our lives when someone needs our help, and while there are times you’re going to have to say no, real leaders don’t mind lending a hand, even when they’re getting nothing in return. A successful leader knows the real reward for helping someone is seeing how happy they and knowing that their assistance played a role in achieving that happiness.
Never never let negativity be your last word on the subject.
If your final words are negative, then no matter how hopeful you may be about the potential of a project or action the lasting impression you give to others is one of negativity. Accentuate the positive and you are more likely to see a positive outcome.
By following these eight action steps not only you will be a better leader, but also your teammates will benefit from working with you. When you are an agent of change within the world then those around you will either look to emulate or oppose you, so make sure you are a positive force. Let us know what action steps do you find most important to be a better leader in the comments!
