7 Rules to Become a Leader

<![CDATA[You want to be a social worker? You’ll need leadership skills to control different situations at your job. You’ll need to learn how to influence other people. You want to work as a yoga teacher? You still need leadership skills, since that means starting and maintaining your own personal brand. Whatever profession you choose nowadays, it seems like the need for leadership skills is an inevitable aspect of it. A study showed that all industries are focused on developing better alignment between the business needs and leadership development. They want high-quality leaders being developed faster at all levels of the organizations. 36% of the surveyed organizations said that their leadership development practices were still poor or below average. Only 25% said that their leadership practices were exceptional above the average. Not every worker in an organization will become a leader. But one thing is certain: the world needs more leaders, and the industries require leadership skills for almost any profession.

Exceptional Leaders: What Makes Them So Good?

Before we start talking about the leadership skills that everyone needs to develop, we must see how really great leaders behave in practice.

Angelina Jolie

Most people already see Angelina Jolie as a great actress, but they don’t realize that she’s also a great leader. While she was filming Tomb Raiderin Cambodia in 2001, she was faced with the harsh reality of this world. The experience made her aware of people in need in help, but she also realized she had power to change things. That’s when she decided to adopt her first baby, and she’s never stopped with her humanitarian activities all around the world. Angelina Jolie leads by passion. Her main goal is to make her followers aware of the reality of those less fortunate than themselves.

Mark Zuckerberg

Now we’re talking about a true business leader. Zuckerberg started from nothing and develop an entire empire around his idea. He practically changed the way people live their lives, and continues doing that. His leadership style is exceptional due to accountability. Zuckerberg makes promises and keeps them.

Angela Merkel

Merkel falls in another category of leader: political. Her strong personalityand her ability to take bold stands made her who she is: one of the greatest leaders of the modern age.

How to Become a Great Leader: 7 Rules to Follow

These people were not born with impressive leadership skills. Sure; some personal qualities made them more charismatic. But they had to work for the status they earned; and that involved working on their leadership potential. You can do the same thing if you only know where to start.

1. Have a Purpose Behind All Your Actions

What’s Jolie’s purpose behind the humanitarian missions and speeches? She wants a better world and desires to awaken all people as part of the solution. Zuckerberg’s vision is to build a global community, and every decision he makes fits into that goal. For Angela Merkel, the purpose behind all decisions is political union. All great leaders have a focused vision, which guides their actions. That’s the first thing you should discover before trying to take any other steps towards leadership.

2. Be Unique

Can you compare Richard Branson to any other leader? How about Donald Trump? Steve Jobs? Bill Gates? All successful leaders have a unique approach to leadership.

3. Cherish All Experiences, Even If You Failed

Steve Jobs failed as a leader at one point. He was fired from the companyhe started himself. But he didn’t let that experience change his vision. He didn’t ignore it, either. He learned from it and used it to grow into a better leader than he ever was. Be aware of the lessons that all experiences teach you. Sometimes you’ll succeed. Sometimes you’ll fail. Let life happen and grow from it!

4. Inspire!

Do an experiment right now: listen to a speech that a great leader gave. You need an example? Let’s check out the speechthat General Mark Welsh, Commander of the U.S. Air Forces in Europe, gave to the cadets in 2011. His tone is rather informal, and very unique, given the fact that it’s a general speaking. But what we notice the most is his ability to inspire these people. It’s just like watching a scene from Top Gun; only it happens in real life. Great leaders are inspiring. They have the skill to awaken passion in other people, and that’s exactly why they are being followed.

5. Share Your Knowledge

Not all great leaders wrote book and memoirs, but we sure wish they had. These people have great knowledge and skills, which need to be passed down to others. Even if they don’t write books, they train other people to achieve goals greater than themselves. If you intend to become a successful leader, you have to work on your writing, speaking, and training skills. At one point or another, you’ll want to share the knowledge you have.

6. Do Everything You Can to Make Your Team Happy

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients.” – Richard Branson That’s a simple tip by one of the most effective modern leaders we know of. Your decisions as a leader must always be in favor of your team. Help your employees grow and do everything in your power to boost their job satisfaction. That’s where success starts from.

7. Lead by Example

This is the most important rule for successful leadership. As a leader, you won’t just call the office, give strict directions and let your employees do the work. No. You are part of the team. You have to show up just like a regular employee does. People have to witness the hard work you’re doing. You’re not just the one providing finances and taking all the credit for other people’s hard work. You’re part of every stage of the process. When you start showing up, you’ll inspire all team members to make the same level of effort.

Even Followers Need Leadership Skills

Not everyone can be a great leader. But guess what: even the regular employee will have to make decisions. In one way or another, they will influence clients or other team members. Whatever the position is, leadership skills only go to the person’s advantage. When you’re aware of the skills and personal traits you need to develop, you’ll be on your way to becoming a better leader than you are today. Are you ready to start? [caption id="attachment_136473" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Samantha Gilbert[/caption]

Samantha R. Gilbert is a journalist and professional writer at EssayWritingLand. She loves dancing, travelling and taking photos, but the main hobby is writing about her experience and adventures. Meet her on Facebook .

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