How to develop leadership qualities
Steve Jobs was definitely not a born leader. In his early years, he used to raise his voice at subordinates, colleagues, and partners. He was restrained in his praise and people rarely heard compliments from him. But over time his management style changed, he became more empathetic with others and even asked his employees how things were going in their families.
You may ask what leadership has to do with it. The thing is we are used to the old model of leadership. We are used to the fact that a leader is someone who commands and controls, meaning a person with power and authority. But now this conception is obsolete. A modern leader is the one who:
- knows how to achieve goals that he or she sets for him or herself
- does this by uniting people and sharing his or her enthusiasm and passion with them
- inspires others and changes their lives for the better
In this respect, Steve Jobs has come a long way: from an authoritarian manager who was feared to a real leader who lit a fire in the hearts of millions.
You can develop leadership qualities, not being and not planning to become a top manager or a high-ranking official. You can start with these simple steps.
1. Maintain a high level of energy
Remember “the oxygen mask rule”? Put your own mask on first before helping others. Otherwise, you will not be able to provide oxygen for anyone or become an example for them. And for this, at least, you need to be physically active, get enough sleep and eat healthy food. Also, it is important to know your personal sources of energy and replenish it regularly.
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2. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”
This is advice from Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest leaders of the 20th century. For instance, if you want people to smile at you, be the first to smile at them. Support and inspire those around you. In a word, create and model the reality that you want to live in.
3. Stop doing things that you are not good at
This technique is also called “fire yourself.” Most people do a lot of things that they think they are obliged to do. They do not get any pleasure from this, and most importantly, their results are poor or average. So, just stop doing it and focus on what you do better than others. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is especially useful when you want to start a project. You will be able to determine exactly which people you should invite to the team, which of them will complement your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
4. Communicate with your colleagues and supervisors
The ability to maintain an open dialogue is another important quality of a leader. Therefore work on your social skills. I explained how to do it in the article “Recommendations for communication. How to improve your communicative skills”. You need to communicate at all levels. Do not join those who gossip about the company’s managers, or those who go to the managers to complain about the colleagues. Appoint meetings with different people and openly discuss new opportunities for achieving common goals and potential areas for growth.
5. Build long-term relationships
Of course, this advice is universal and it can be applied not only to leaders. But for them, it is twice as important. When a leader wants to build a team, it will be better if it consists of those who he trusts and who trust him. Therefore, do not limit yourself to short-term acquaintances, but maintain and develop long-lasting relationships with people.
6. Learn from leaders who you admire
It can be leaders of the past or the present. I really enjoy reading the biographies of great people, but you can also watch their performances, study their memoirs or interviews. I especially recommend paying attention to their public speeches. You can even write down what words they used to inspire the audience, and what caused the greatest public response. Try using the same techniques.
7. Develop your charisma
Many still think that charisma is an inborn quality. In fact, charisma is the ability to combine the natural charm that everyone has, with excellent communication skills. Therefore, everyone can develop it. People are more willing to follow charismatic leaders, so learn to be likable. You can find tips on that in my article “Through the prism of charisma. How to develop your natural magnetism.”
8. Make quick decisions
Leadership assumes that you are able not only to communicate with people and empathize with them but also to take up the running. When you need to make an important decision, try not to drag out this process or yield to procrastination. Act quickly and rationally. One way is to reduce the number of options. For example, if you need to find a contractor for a project, identify three worthy candidates and make a choice between them.
9. Be proactive
A proactive person is the one who lives in accordance with his or her choice, not shifting responsibility on the third parties or circumstances. Otherwise, people become reactive and live on the stimulus-response reflex. For example, no one has to promote you or give you a salary raise. Decide for yourself how much you want to earn, then come to your boss and ask what you should do to earn this sum. Remember that you are the only one responsible for your development and success.
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Proactive people are easy to recognize even by their speech. They use phrases like “I choose”, “I made a decision”, “I can change it.” A reactive person will instead say “I was interrupted”, “This is not in my power”, “I cannot do anything about it.” Try to get rid of reactivity in your speech, and your mind will begin to change.
10. Become a volunteer or a head of a public interest organization
To change someone’s life for the better, you don’t have to be a top-ranking person or perform in front of thousands of people. For example, many parents complain about the educational system. How about heading a school board and trying to improve the situation in one particular school where your child is going?
There are a lot of opportunities around. Use them to show your leadership qualities, to learn to manage your life and inspire others. Here are the tips that will help you become a true modern leader:
- Maintain a high level of energy. Play sports, get enough sleep and eat healthy food. Identify your individual sources of energy and use them to regularly replenish it.
- Create and model the reality that you want to live in. Treat others the way you want to be treated.
- Know your strengths and focus on the things that you are good at.
- Develop communication skills. Openly discuss with colleagues and supervisors the opportunities for achieving common goals and potential areas for growth.
- Build long-term relationships to surround yourself with the people that you trust and who trust you.
- Learn from leaders that you admire. Watch their speeches, notice the peculiarities of their behavior and speech.
- Develop charisma and learn how to be likable.
- Take up the running and make quick decisions.
- Be proactive. Live according to your personal choice instead of being conditioned by circumstances or other people.
- Become a volunteer or a head of a public interest organization.