We all have it in us to become a great leader! Some of us are born natural leaders, while others need to learn what makes a great leader and how to become one. With that in mind, aspiring leaders need to ask themselves, “What competencies make an effective leader?”.
Leadership is about so much more than hitting numbers and more purposeful than improving the bottom line. Leadership can and should elevate your purpose in life!
Unfortunately, having a title or a bunch of letters after your name doesn’t make one a leader. However, by determining your leadership attributes, and being able to use them confidently, you can enable yourself to create effective change and get results as an effective leader!
Below are six key attributes every influential leader needs:
Be a Visionary Leader
One of the key attributes of a leader is to have a strategic vision.
A great leader has to have a sense of not only where they’re going but also how to get their people into the same future. By being a visionary, you, as a leader, must have a clear, strategic vision, take a stand for what you believe in, and lead your people forward with confidence!
When you have a vision of what you want for your business and purpose-filled life, it’s easier to achieve it! It’s even more likely that you’ll accomplish what you need to if you write it down on a vision board! A vision board will be a daily reminder for what your goals and aspirations are, which will kick-start you every day to go for your goals and helping others to do the same!
What Goes Around Comes Around
Once you start to share the vision you have, and you go after it, your followers will do the same because you will then have become the inspiration they needed to reach their vision! It’s quite a gift to inspire future leaders because you’re also preparing them to inspire more future leaders!
Be a Reliable Leader
Reliability is a crucial attribute to have as a leader because it provides a sense of comfort to your team or employees! Being a leader that people can count on is essential! If you, as a leader, are not consistent in your efforts and actions, your followers may begin to doubt your dedication as a leader to a cause, and you may lose their respect.
As a leader, your followers can rely on; you become someone who can be counted on when the going gets tough and for consistent guidance on the journey.
Be a Leader Who Grows
As a leader, you must always be open and willing to learn! Learning is an excellent tool to help you grow in life and business, and as a person and leader! Focus on growing, learning, and expanding personally and professionally and watch yourself and your business soar to new heights!
By being a leader who grows all the time, you are setting a significant example and precedence for your team or employees to follow! A great leader will always have the commitment to step into their potential and, therefore, will always discover ways to be their best selves – inspiring others in the process!
Be a Confident Leader
How you feel about yourself has a lot to do with how others perceive you as well, and being a confident leader shows your followers how effective you can be at taking charge of a situation! A confident nature is very magnetic to followers because they follow suit without realizing they are doing so!
Confidence is one of the key qualities of great leadership that most leaders tend to overlook. Confidence as a leader is imperative, and unfortunately, it is not a strength that many leaders possess. In this case, some will fake it until they make it, and that works wonders too! Eventually, this fake confidence will blossom into real confidence that you can be proud of!
Natural Confidence is Still Most Effective
While having the “fake it till you make it” mentality can undoubtedly boost your confidence as a leader in the short-term, it’s also very important to learn how to increase your self-esteem and self-worth naturally, because by doing so, you’ll increase your confidence and effectiveness as a leader much more effectively, and it will be something your people will draw to!
Be a Communicative Leader
Communication is a fundamental trait to carry in life – especially if you want to be a leader! An effective leader knows that one of the most important skills is the power of clear communication! Communication can make or break a business on various levels, so make sure that you practice consistent, clear communication as a leader to your followers!
It’s important to note that clear, concise, and persuasive communication is the name of the game that leads to the success of a business – and an incredible leader!
Be a Leader Who Gets Things Done
Any leader can have all of the above five attributes and can practice until they perfect their skills, but if they don’t follow through on their tasks and visions, it won’t matter! A leader who gets things done makes for an incredible leader and a sought out one!
The ability to take the strategic vision, lead a team, and execute on the concept is what makes a professional, fantastic leader! Don’t just say you’ll get things done – DO it! Set goals, create a course of action, and execute your plans!
Be the Kind of Leader You Would Follow
One central question you need to ask yourself when it comes to how to be a great, effective leader is, “What kind of leader am I attracted to, and want to follow?” Once you know this, you will be able to become that which you love! Becoming a great leader will not happen overnight, but with much practice, dedication, and execution – it CAN happen sooner than you’d think! It’s ok when you have setbacks as a leader – because it’s part of the process – get back up and get back on it again! Even the most successful leaders need to re-practice their game!
Become the leader that you want everyone to be inspired, respect, admire! Allow your attributes to help you to find the purpose you’re meant to find – become the change you want to see!
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