Are great leaders born, or made? If you feel you have leadership potential and wish to improve your skills, it’s time to stop hiding your talents and foster them so you can have the career and respect you deserve and not miss out on the better things in life.
A lot of people believe that great leaders are just born to it. The truth is that great leaders are self-aware enough to know what they are good at, and can make the most of, and what they are weak at, but can improve upon in order to achieve their goals. For example, they might not be very good at math, but they are a creative genius when it comes to marketing. However, they will never be able to lead in their company unless they have a pretty good grounding in the financial basics of the business and what all the report mean in terms of sales and profits.
they also work on what are seen as the typical qualities of a leader. They may not be what you think! You can learn how to cultivate leadership qualities in yourself, and any people you may have to supervise. You can also discover the difference between a manager and a true leader. Knowing this difference can have a major impact on your career.
A lot of people think about leadership mainly in the context of running a business, but it is also important in your home life and in relation to your role in the community. Your children and partner won’t respect you if they feel you are lacking in the ability to lead well if and when times get tough. You will not have much status in your community unless you are seen as someone who can take the lead and achieve great things. Providing a good example to others, especially to young people, can make a huge difference in their lived. Think where Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, might be without the example and mentorship of Bill Gates of Microsoft.
Being a good leader start off with self-reflection. What are you passionate about? Why do you want to lead? How can your leadership improve the lives of others, not just yourself?
Once you’ve evaluated your strengths and weaknesses, it will be time to take action. You might read books, take a course, look for a mentor, shadow your manager for a couple of days to get an idea of what leadership involves, or ask for a project so you can assume leadership of it to test your performance as a leader.
If you’are tired of losing out on promotions to other people or missing opportunities to show your executive qualities, it’s time to set your leadership goals and implement strategies and tactics to help you advance towards your goals. Great leaders are sometimes born, but more often, they are made through the opportunities they create for themselves through self-awareness, effort and all they have to offer others. They also seize the moment when they get the chance (like Napoleon) or make the best of a difficult situation (like Wellington) and become the go-to person people rely on to help things run smoothly, and even improve thanks to their efforts.
If you’re the kind of person people are always going to for help and advice, it might be time to boost your aspirations to leadership level and benefit yourself and everyone you will be helping. Then see what a difference you can make in the world.
++++
Further Reading
Buy now: How to Develop Leadership Skills: Become an Effective Leader at Work, Home and in the Community
