Leadership Begins From Within
Upon listening to a short TED Talk about how to start a movement, I began thinking about how leadership begins from within. In the example cited in the talk, the movement’s leader appears to be nuts until he gains his first follower. Then, the leader embraces the first follower and engages with others. I believe this leader felt the need to start a movement and didn’t second-guess it; the decision to lead and begin a movement was a choice before an action. The example also highlighted how leaders need to remain passionate about their purpose and build relationships with followers.
If you want to prosper as a leader, you need to practice the fundamentals of relationship-building. It starts with you. You must believe your actions count for something and inspire others to follow.
Model Leadership Behavior
The most important characteristic of a leader is personal credibility. Would you believe someone’s message if you didn’t believe them as a person? Probably not.
Leaders also need to have a strong and unwavering belief system, though they don’t need to force their beliefs on others. People engage with others who have a common aspiration.
Words can sound great, but just talking about your values won’t cut it. Be the example, and model desired behavior in your actions. For example, a business owner can be the leader people want to follow by giving credit where credit is due.
Backing up your words will earn you respect and, in turn, followers. But modeling the way isn’t a simple task. You need to put in the effort and pay attention to detail.
Inspire
Being innovative and thinking outside the box is the natural state of a leader’s mind. People like new and fresh ideas. Inspiring others means including them in your ideas in an effort to turn your vision into a collective vision. Making your visions come alive can help you do this. Having enthusiasm and being excited gets others excited.
Another important practice for inspiring others is keeping their best interests in mind. When people know you care about their needs and not just your own, they will more likely want to follow you.
Be Up For The Challenge
Every leader likes a good challenge. Direct others to great things by teaching them to accept challenges.
For example, in the insurance industry, there are a lot of agents who only sell for one company, and that’s great if that’s what works for them. Sales and consultations are different, though; the feeling an agent gets from “selling” a policy is much different than the feeling an agent gets when working with someone on a consultation to discover the best policy. So a business’s leader could challenge their employees by selling products from multiple insurance companies. While the initial change might frustrate their employees, in the end, the agents will likely experience higher job satisfaction, and clients will reap the benefits of high-quality, affordable insurance.
The old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” would not be spoken by a true leader. A leader would say, “It might not be broken, but it could be better.”
Things can’t improve if they stay the same. Leaders challenge the process by seeking out ideas for improvement, taking risks, making mistakes and learning. Great leaders understand there are no failures, only opportunities to learn.
Push Others To Engage
Engaging with followers is a habit of good leaders. When people unite and focus on like-minded goals, they can accomplish great things. Leading people in the direction of getting things accomplished is a significant milestone. And when people know their efforts are appreciated and valued, they’re often eager to remain engaged.
Some business owners focus on the areas in which their employees could do better, instead of looking at what motivates and excites them. As a leader, the best thing you can do is help your employees create plans that allow them to use their positive capabilities to contribute to the business.
Put employees in situations that build confidence by placing them in roles of responsibility and influence. I believe a business owner who utilizes the strengths of all employees will more likely have a strong, happy business.
A leader is a coach inspiring everyone to win and achieve the mission. And when their following is eager to act, goals can be accomplished. Be a successful leader by encouraging your following.
Thank Those Around You
Everyone likes to feel important. Knowing their hard work or time spent is making a difference can be all someone needs to keep going.
Great leaders are always thankful. After all, these are the people who are giving life to your shared vision. A great leader knows and understands that they wouldn’t have success without those who follow them.