How to Become Leader

Do you ever get frustrated because things don’t seem to be happening the way they’re supposed to be?

You see other people hanging around or talking about doing something, but really nothing gets accomplished.

In your daily hustle and bustle of doing this and doing that, do you feel that your goals are just that…goals, with little chance of getting them accomplished?

Then it’s time to stand up and do something about it.  In the words of Howard Beale from the movie “Network” 

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

Most people are content to just stand around waiting for and listening to orders. It’s easy to adopt a follow-the-leader mentality; after all, it takes no mental strength at all.

And I’m wondering if somewhere inside of you, you feel that desire to make things happen – to be the head, not the tail. Then leadership would suit you just fine wouldn’t it?

Some people believe that great leaders are made, not born. Sure, it may be true that some people are born with natural talents. However, with practice, drive, enthusiasm, and experience a true leader can be developed.

This process of transforming into a leader can be done by “modeling.”  The definition of modeling is “Modeling is the process of creating useful descriptions of the structure of human abilities.” Basically this means find some how has or is doing what you want and duplicate them.

I’ll go deeper into modeling in future posts, but for now keep you eyes open for a leader that you really resonate with and gather all the information you can about them.

Remember that good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their natural skills. This takes a commitment to constantly improve in whatever endeavor you choose.

Before we move on, let’s define leadership. A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal.

Contrary to what most people believe, leadership is not about power. It is not about yelling at people or driving them using fear. It is about encouraging others towards the goal of the ‘organization’ or tribe. It is putting everyone on the same page and helping them see the big picture of the group.

Leaders are not bosses, but bosses can be a leaders.

To be a leader you’ve got to have people following you right?

Well how do you do this?

People follow others when they see a clear sense of purpose. People will only follow you if they see that you know where you are going. Remember that bumper sticker? The one that says, “Don’t follow me, I’m lost too?” The same holds true for leadership. If you yourself do not know where you’re headed to, chances are people will not follow.

You yourself must know your personal vision and that of the tribe.

In his book “Tribes” Seth Godin gives this info on leadership:

• People want to belong; they want to be missed when they don’t show up.
• Charisma doesn’t make you a leader, leading gives you charisma.
• Most of all, people care about themselves.
• Faith is belief in the future and it is critical. Religion is a set of rules designed to amplify faith at the same time it guarantees the status quo. As you can guess, heretics have a lot of faith, but not so much patience with religion. And heretics are the ones who make change.
• When in doubt, work with small groups. If you can’t find 5 followers, how will you find 1000?
• Talk to people with respect, don’t advertise at them.
• Transparency is your only option, because the tribe will smell artifice.

In other words:

• In order to be a leader you must have followers.
• In order to get followers it’s crucial to be interested in others.
• In order to be interested in others you have to believe and treat other people like they are important – everyone has something to offer.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It’s about who you are, what you know, and what you do. You are a reflection of what you’re subordinates must be.

When recently asked “Is it really possible for anyone to be a leader? Robin Sharma responded.

“Absolutely. The core message of “The Leader Who Had No Title” is that every single one of us has the opportunity to show leadership in our work and within our lives–every single day. This isn’t some motivational platitude. It’s a reality that I’ve helped everyday people in organizations like Microsoft, GE, FedEx, Yale University and IBM achieve. Because leadership isn’t really about the title on our business cards. Leadership is about the strength of our influence, our willingness to innovate, the quality of our attitude and our commitment to excellence. This doesn’t mean that organizations should get rid of titles and structure. It simply means that leadership is a behavior–and anyone of us can show it.”

Studies have shown that one other bases of good leadership are the trust and confidence in others. If people trust you they will go through hell and high water for you and a worthy cause.

Trust and confidence is built on good relationships, trustworthiness, and high ethics.

The way you deal with people, and the relationships you build will lay the foundation for the strength of the group. The stronger your relationship, the stronger their trust and confidence is in your capabilities.

Once you have their trust and confidence, you’ll be able to communicate the goals and objectives you are to undertake and have them well received.

Communication is also a very important key to good leadership. Without this you can’t be a good leader. The knowledge and technical expertise you have must be clearly imparted to other people.

A good leader also has good judgment. You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision, and actively seek out a solution.

It is this judgment that your subordinates will come to rely upon. Therefore, good decision-making is vital to the success for yourself and others.

Leaders are not do-it-all heroes.  They know who are the experts on certain subjects and ask for their advice.  A good leader doesn’t claim to know everything and doesn’t solely rely upon his/her skills alone.

Remember being a leader takes a good deal of work and time. It is not learned overnight.

Being a leader is not about just you…it is about you and the people around you.

In the words of John Quincy Adams “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

So, do you have the drive and the desire to serve required of leaders?

Do you have the desire to work cooperatively with other people?

Then start now.

Take your stand and be leader today.

I’d like to hear from you in the comments below.