To become a great leader, you must first understand what leadership is and how it affects not only you but the company and department you work for. The official definition of a leader is one who goes before or with someone to show them the way. An easier way to explain a leader is to define their characteristics. A leader has integrity, a purpose not only in their position but in their life; they have influence with upper management and peers. They must also have gained trust from people. Leaders will also have a vision for the future of the company and themselves and have a passion for the work they are involved in and a passion for life.
If you want to become a leader, then the first person you have to learn how to lead is yourself. If you don’t understand where you are going, you can’t help someone else get to where they need to be. You need to realize that you are a reflection of your company. People will watch how you handle situations before they will place their trust in you. They will watch to see if you have integrity, if you are able to keep your word and if you follow through on what you have defined as the vision and focus of the company. If you aren’t able to do these things, then people won’t put their trust in you and they will look somewhere else for the information or services they are looking for. As you build the trust of people they will work with you to achieve your vision and goals for the future and will want you to succeed.
We all have the potential to lead; it is a matter of developing and growing character, which will help us develop the potential to lead in others. As a leader, it is important to remember that others won’t help you validate or define your self-worth. You will need to measure your success by comparing yourself to the vision and purpose you have set as your goal. Define what you want your personal and professional vision to be, and then work to determine how you can achieve your visions. You can accomplish this by setting goals and following through to ensure those goals stay in line with your vision. A vision is the key to leadership. Your vision is what you want in the long-term for either yourself or the company where you work. You need more than just a vision though; you also need purpose, which is the passion behind the vision. It is the source that you will use to move people toward your vision.
A leader will work with the people around them to develop their talents and help them to realize their full potential. They don’t have employees; instead they work with their staff to build a team. They treat people like individuals who are able to be creative and innovative. They opinions are important and are an integral part of the team. Your job is to give them the room to voice their ideas, opinions and problems; to not interrupt them, but to listen attentively to let them know they are important. It is imperative for a leader to understand the importance of others and their ideas. People aren’t working with you to just fill a slot but to work toward achieving the vision of the company.
It is up to you to determine what type of leader you want to become. Do you want to inspire others to achieve goals and visions? Do you want to become a caring leader? Your actions and the goals you put in place will help determine what type of leader you become. You will also be able to further define what type of leader you are by your personality. If you are a quiet, thoughtful person, then you are less likely to be someone who is outspoken, but you can still be effective at communicating, because not everyone is good at every aspect of leadership. Some areas you will have to work harder at achieving and some will come easily to you. Set you goals, work toward your vision and most of all enjoy the life that you have before you.
