Leadership as a way of life

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Here you'll find my infrequent musings and reflections on all things that impact our beliefs and potential.

3 August 2021

People often think of leaders as the C-Suite, military commanders and political officials. Obviously while it’s true that you need good leadership skills in those roles (although witnessing some of them in action it is often questionable), leadership is a valuable trait made up of lots of different skills that we can all use to progress in our daily lives.

Effective leadership doesn't come naturally for a lot of people (I once had a boss who when we first met she introduced herself by saying “who do I need to be nice to now so in future I can come down hard when they don’t do what we want?” I didn’t last long under her ~~dictatorship~~ leadership). But we can always build and grow our skills and these four easy to remember techniques will help you define your own style.

1. Set the bar of excellence. Know what excellence means to you and lead by example. Hone excellence in your existing skills and work on developing new skills.

2. Have vision, set goals. Know where you’re going in the various areas of your life, and set goals that will help you get there.

Your goals measure your performance and progress en route to your vision.
Goal feels impossible or too hard? Break them down! Make them smaller and more manageable. Then celebrate your successes (no matter how small) and maintain your motivation.
Identify and use all resources available to you in the pursuit of your goals. When making plans to reach your goal, you can then work with the resources you actually have, rather than developing plans based on resources and circumstances that you wish were reality.
It’s a process. Be prepared to adapt and refine your plans and ultimate goals based on your progress.

3. It’s about the people. Leaders inspire others to work towards a common goal. To do this well, you need to get to grips with people skills and develop emotional intelligence.

Learn how to listen. I mean, really listen. As humans we tend to listen to reply. This means we’re already forming our response as someone is talking, which means we’re not listening. When you really listen, it helps build a connection and trust which is critical for leaders.
Help others to be their best. Are you helping people to develop the skills they need? Motivating them towards change?
Be inclusive. Ask questions, get curious. Let others input their thoughts. When people are included it gives them a stake in the outcome and drives motivation to help.

4. Check your attitude. People will learn from you and your behaviour as to what’s expected of them.

Just these four simple things can really help enhance the way you lead in your life and the success you’re having, bringing more satisfaction and increased wellbeing. What’s not to like?

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