I had to learn how to be a leader at the age of 17. Not only was it hard to learn these skills at a young age, but it was even harder applying them with people who were much older than me.
However, I knew I had to find a way to make it happen. I decided to talk to other great leaders, read books and ‘practice’ my skills. It took me some time, but I eventually figured out a couple of things that would help make me a great leader.
In this article, I share 8 things great leaders do:
1. Remember: The Business Comes First
It’s almost first nature for your own needs to come before the needs of others. However, as a business owner, I couldn’t be selfish about my needs regardless of the situation.
Great leaders put their business first and foremost. They don’t allow their own emotions to make decisions for their business. I always asked myself a question before making a big decision, “Is this the best decision for the company or for me?”
2. Promote Independence & Freedom
The reason why I couldn’t stand working jobs was because I had no creative freedom or independence at the job. I had a manager breathing over my neck telling me exactly what to do and how to do it.
Instead, I take a very different approach. As a leader, I hire individuals who I think are capable. Thus, I tell them what needs to be done and when it needs to be done, but I don’t tell them how unless they really want to know.
3. Listen
Just because you’re the leader of your organization doesn’t mean you know everything. One of the best qualities I had developed early on was the ability to listen to my team.
Respect your employees and team. Give them the chance to speak out and provide their opinion. You’ll be amazed at how many good ideas can come out if you take the time to listen to others.
4. Lead By Example
Poor leaders say, “Go do this”. Great leaders say, “Lets go do this”. That small change of words can have a dramatic impact in the meaning. As a leader, I became very careful of the way I phrased various things.
As a leader, your goal isn’t to boss around people to the best of your abilities. It’s to get a group of people to come together on one idea or plan and for all of you to execute on it. Leaders are in the forefront leading their team with the execution.
5. Stay Positive
The emotions you show as a leader are very important. The rest of your team will look to you for support and confidence. I quickly learned that being a leader was one of the hardest roles to take on.
Even when things are going horribly, you have to put on a smile and be positive about the situation. If you lose hope or optimism in your own business, others will too.
6. They Encourage Mistakes
I became successful as an entrepreneur only because I made a ton of mistakes. I encouraged myself each time I made these mistakes because I knew I was getting a little bit better every time.
When managing other people, I had the same mindset. I told my team, “Mistakes are great. Make as many of them as you can because that means you’re really trying.” Great leaders promote mistakes and foster personal growth within the workplace.
7. They Lead By Example
One of the best leaders I ever knew told me something that I remind myself about everyday. He said, “Before you do something, always ask yourself if you would allow one of your employees to do what you’re about to do.”
Those were the most powerful words I had heard about leading by example. He told me, you must practice what you preach otherwise your whole organization is a hoax.
8. They Are Fearless
Great leaders have to be fearless. It’s just a quality and skill that they must pick up along the way. With so much that goes on within an organization, you have to be willing to do the ‘scariest’ stuff in order to get past certain situations.
As a leader, it is your job to clear up drama in the workplace. It’s your job to keep the organization moving forward. It’s also your job to get everyone on the same page when things get rocky.
Conclusion
In this article, I shared 8 things great leaders do. What are some other things that you do as a leader? Feel free to share in the comments below.
photo credit: VinothChandar via photopin cc
