Leadership has a lot of definition.
It does not only mean possessing a power over a group of people under you nor having control of the people around you. There are countless ways to become a leader and everyone is capable of becoming one.
However, not everyone has the ability to become a great leader for it requires people who possess the essential traits in leading. Fortunately, these traits can be learned.
If you want to become one of the great leaders, consider and learn to have these 7 major traits a great leader must possess:
Courage is the foundation of all traits and it is a must-have for leaders. Fear is your great enemy that hinders you to unleash your full potential to become a great leader. Always remember, only with a great courage can you be able to overcome this fear. Everything we do takes courage and you need it to stand for yourself and for your people in facing difficult challenges along your way to success.
Great leaders are those who risk everything, and even make fool of themselves for their team’s success. There is risk in everything you do — when making actions, adapting to changes around you, and even choosing your people takes a lot of risks. If not being a risk-taker, how can you discover effective ways to succeed? If you are terrified to try something new and make mistakes, how can you make a progress? For even leadership itself is a risk. When you accept the responsibility of being a leader, you are as well accepting the risks that come with it.
Great leaders know how to give empathy to their people to be able to understand them, making them feel that they care not just for their goals but also for their people. When one choose to become a great leader, one of the hardest parts is you need to understand that your people will sometimes make mistakes and may ruin your plans. You see, only through mistakes will they grow and become a more responsible individuals. This is why before you become a leader, you must first need to experience a lot of sufferings, mistakes, and failures to be able to truly give full sympathy to your people.
As a great leader, you are oblige to make progress with yourself, with your people and with the things you do. You do not want to be left behind by your competitors, do you? That is why being a leader is being innovative as well. This has a connection with being a risk-taker since when you are innovating, you also consider a lot of risks along your way. These risks are only the price you need to pay in order for you to achieve your goals. Now that things are rapidly changing because of technology, it is critical for you to be open to new ideas. Remember that the one who easily adapts changes is the one that survives.
It is important for a leader to have a clear vision what needs to be done and how to do it. This way, you will be able to direct and unite your people into one goal while helping them to become resilient when going through a lot of trials. Having a vision does not only mean creating a goal, it also means having a clear and strong idea about the destination of your team.
Followers need a leader who is confident enough to lead people. You would not want to follow a leader who does not manifest a confidence to himself, right? It is nerve-wracking to have a leader who doubts himself and his capabilities and is even frightened to face people. Demonstrate a strong self-confidence with a humble heart to be able to inspire people and lead them in the right path. Ask this question to yourself: How can you make your people believe in you if even you, yourself, do not believe with your own capabilities? How can you be able to make tough decision when even deciding to believe in yourself is already tough for you?
Your people faces a lot of negativities everyday. One of the most important things your people need is a bright light that will cast-off all the negatives living in their minds. That light is you. As a leader, it is your responsibility to become a light to your people. You need to become optimistic despite going through a lot of challenges, or even getting a very little chance of success; or worse, even when things do not go as planned. Because if you will not, who else will?
Leadership is earned, not given. If you want to become a great leader, you need to learn to start having those 7 important traits. Only through possessing those traits can help you become a great leader with a great people and a great legacy. Remember, yourself is your greatest enemy. No one else can defeat you other than yourself.
If you’re unsure of how to utilize your own leader deep within you reach out to me. I’m a serial entrepreneur with several multimillion dollar businesses under my belt. I know what I’m doing and by the time I’m done mentoring you, you’ll know what you’re doing to. Contact me today to learn more about what I can offer your business!