How to Be a Leader

How to Be a Leader

Written By Scott Brown

What does it take for someone to be a leader? Some people believe that you must be born with it. While it may be true that some people possess a natural ability towards leadership, it can be learned. Like anything else, you get better at it with practice.

One of the key features of a leader is to lead by example. We hear that all that time. But really, In order to gain the respect of your team and to promote the team aspect that is what a leader does. They are willing to do the tasks themselves in order to help the team.

Our society has gotten too used to the idea that leaders simply bark orders at people. That Leaders need to be the captain of the ship and be willing to go down with the ship. While in most regards that is true, the captain must also make sure all of his crew makes it out safely, he must be selfless and thinking of others.

Another role of a leader is to take responsibility for your actions. Don’t pass the blame onto others. If you assume or accept a leadership role, then you will be looked upon to guide those you lead. Own up to your mistakes and figure out alternative courses of action when needed.

A leader should also have a vision for their organization. You should know what you are trying to accomplish and figure out how you are going to get there. To continue with the captain of the ship analogy, you need to map out a route to take the ship.

When you are leading others, you need to display confidence. When people view you as a confident leader, they will do whatever you ask of them. There is a difference between confidence and arrogance. Be careful not to confuse the two even though they sometimes can cross.

Leaders are allowed to make mistakes. But, how they recover from those mistakes defines their ability to lead. If you hide from the problem, you will lose the confidence that others have placed in you. Face up to the adversity of the situation and figure out how to handle it. This can require some tough decisions, but that is part of the role of the leader.

Leaders should listen to the people they are leading. If you take the approach that you are always right, you will set the stage for a group of yes people. What this means is you will need to be responsible for every decision, even the ones that you thought you were delegating.

Hire the right people and then let them do their jobs. Don’t micro manage and don’t be overbearing. Put your trust in them. After all, you did hire them. You must have seen good qualities in them in order for them to be a part of your organization.

Lastly, Listen to their concerns. Listening to others does not imply caving into their demands. You simply need to take what others say into consideration.

Let me leave you with what Paul said to the church in Corinth as he was talking to the people of that day, people of influence (leaders).

This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.  1 Corinthians 4:1-2

All of us are leaders, people of influence. But mostly we are servants of Christ. Ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. 

I hope you enjoyed these tips on How To Be A Leader.

Scott

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