One important part of success in life is the continually developing your ability to lead. It's important that we not only be able to lead others but be willing to lead ourselves. None of us succeeds in life only by following others; sometimes we simply have to strike a new path for ourselves. That's especially true in today's marketplace.
To be a good leader, you must take action. Too often, we accept that someone looks or sounds like a leader and too rarely do we actually look at the actions that leader performs. That's the true test of leadership. To become good leaders we need to concentrate on action rather than appearance. Here are eight steps toward that goal. But these aren't progressive steps like so many recipes or instruction manuals describe. Instead, it's helpful to think of them as actions you must take on a regularly.
- Watch for new potential opportunities. "Reality" means constant change. Think about inventors, explorers, and agents of social change who have achieved greatness. Some might say that those leaders have been successful because they were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. 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. Opportunity only knocks once, as the saying goes.
- Accept inspiration from wherever it comes, even your competition. The wisest leaders constantly study their competition. In war, politics, and business we constantly see examples of this research and reconnaissance. Keep in mind, though, that many "leaders" focus on finding a weakness to exploit. If you want to a be a leader of positive change don't fall victim to this trend. Instead, if you find a weakness, make sure that you avoid that same pitfall. Conversely, when you find a strength in your competition, then find a way to strengthen your own qualities to match.
- Learn something new and promote in new ways every day. You must continually seek to expand your horizons, both 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 in your leadership role.
- Search for and find answers in subtle clues. Look beneath the surface and constantly question. To do this effectively, you may very well need to step off the traditional paths of knowledge. Don't just read books in the bestsellers list. Take seminars rather than classes as there is more room for questioning and debate. Seek out the unconventional thinkers, teachers, and writers, in your industry and in others.
- If you don't find suitable existing solutions, improvise. No excuses. Marshall McLuhan taught us that "Invention is the mother of necessity", and most great breakthroughs were invented b y thinking outside the conventional box. How do you know it won't work if you've never tried it before? Keep in mind that 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 behavior will become a habit. 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.
- Offer help to others even if there's no apparent advantage to you. This means more than writing a check; it means giving of your time and energy and yourself. Sometimes it will mean helping someone you don't know and sometimes it can be a very personal action. The practice if giving back is a long-held value for strong positive leaders.
- 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 any negative impression you give to others will suck them of their motivation. Focus on and promulgate the positive and you are more likely to see a positive outcome.
If you follow these eight action steps not only you will be a better leader but also lead yourself to a more successful life.
