For a business to be effective, it needs a great leader at its helm. Leaders, men and women alike, inspire their employees to go above and beyond. However, leadership talent is lacking in about 60% of businesses, which is making it more difficult for these companies to get where they want to be. Did you know that 37% of people who leave their job say they did so because of poor leadership? Leadership isn’t a science, it is an art. But it is an art that can be learned as well. Some people are literally born to be leaders. Take Charles Phillips and Irene Rosenfeld, master & mistress respectively, both in complete control of their business ventures, for instance, who seem to have started straight at the top. But they are the types of people that have inspired others to do the same. So what does it take to become a successful leader?
1. Hard Work
You can’t be a real leader if you don’t work hard yourself. You have to learn everything there is about leadership, which include a lot of soft skills. You must always be in the pursuit of making yourself better than you were before.
2. Deal with Pressure Properly
Times will get tough at some point, and you have to be the person that others will look towards to guide them through this. That doesn’t mean times won’t be tough on you as well, but you need to be the one that gets everything back on track, who is confident that things will work out, and who keeps it all together.
3. Have Real Integrity
You have to be what your employees want: someone with integrity. You must be fair, honest, forthright, candid, and give people the chance to express themselves, earn promotions, try new things, and more. When you are kind to others, they will be kind to you as well.
4. Be Inspirational for Teamwork
You may be at the head of a team, right the way at the top, on a singular pedestal, you can’t get anything done without teamwork. You may be the boss, they are the ones who do the actual work. You have to support people by creating an environment in which everybody’s role is equally important. It is about self-engagement and self-direction, and this increases productivity.
5. Believe in You and in Your Team
You must show that you have faith in your own abilities to be a leader. But at the same time, you have to show that you have faith in your team and their abilities. You inspire people to do better when you show them that you genuinely believe that they can do better.
6. Communicate
Last but not least, you must be able to communicate. In writing, in speaking, and even in non-verbal communication. You need to be able to make it clear what you want and how you want it. That is how you become a true and strong leader.