Are You Your Own Leader?

When you look at your life, what determines your values, actions, thoughts, and more? Do you rely on others to tell you how you should think and feel? In the age of social media, it can be hard to be your own independent person. 

 

A great way to assess your own leadership in your life is to look at your relationships.

 

Family

 

One of the first relationships to look at is the one that you have with your family. As we grow up, we often start out believing what our parents believe. They tell us what to do, and for a certain number of years, we have to do it. It is only when we move out or start becoming independent that we begin to think for ourselves. 

 

At this point, you are becoming your own leader. Your parents might really like or believe one thing, and you like or believe differently. That is okay. You are choosing for yourself what you want to like or believe. It can be hard for parents and other family members to adjust to you having leadership over yourself. 

 

Your family has to grow just as you have and when they don’t, it can either cause rifts between you and them, or it can cause you to revert and step away from being your own leader. 

 

Your Relationship With Your Partner

 

Another relationship that you need to look at is the one you have with your partner. While it is important for you guys to have things in common, it is also important that you are not relying on them to tell you what to think or feel. 

 

Your partner shouldn’t be telling you where you are allowed to go, who you are allowed to see, and what you are allowed to wear. When this happens, you are not independent over yourself. It is good to check in with your partner and make sure that you guys are on the same page, but you are your own person even when you are in a relationship. Your whole person doesn’t need to change based upon who you are in a relationship with. 

 

Friendships

 

A large group of relationships that you need to access is those that you have with your friends. People very often peer pressure each other. It can be easy to fall into a trap of embarrassment and shame that causes you to do something that you wouldn’t normally do. 

 

If your friends do not accept you for who you are and are constantly trying to change you by dictating how you should think or feel, they are probably not the friends for you. Ideally, your friends will respect who you are as a person and will not attempt to change you. 

 

Just because they do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it. You are your own person and you are allowed to make your own decisions, even if they don’t go with what your friends are doing. 

 

You Are The Master Of Your Own Life

 

It can be very easy to fall into the habit of never standing up for yourself or always doing what is common or popular. Sometimes it is hard to go against the crowd or stop what you have already started doing. 

 

The biggest indicator that you are your own leader is that you do exactly what you want. Your life is your own and your choices were made by you. You are the master of your life and you don’t require the relationships that you hold with others around you to determine anything for you. 

 

Being your own leader can be scary and hard, but ultimately it will help you to feel at ease in your skin and have fewer regrets in life. 

 

Learn From Great Leaders: The Benefits Of Having An Open Mind

For every individual, no matter their position, there are benefits to having an open mind. For leaders, there are definitely benefits as having an open mind allows them to become better leaders. One example of a leader who made changes to his viewpoints is Abraham Lincoln. 

 

Lincoln is considered a great leader of the United States because of what he accomplished while he was president. He issued the Emancipation proclamation and granted freedom to slaves. He also helped start the rebuilding of the country after the civil war. 

 

Although he helped give United States’ slaves their freedom, according to history.com, he wasn’t always so sure on the proper course of action. “Abraham Lincoln did believe that slavery was morally wrong, but there was one big problem: It was sanctioned by the highest law in the land, the Constitution...he didn’t know exactly what should be done about it within the current political system.”

 

Over time, he realized what had to be done. Although there were many reasons for freeing the slaves, he gave them their freedom even though it went against the Constitution, something that had been previously very problematic for him.

 

Lincoln learned to expand his beliefs by having a more open mind. There are many benefits that he received because of his changes of beliefs and having an open mind. Because of Lincoln’s actions, he is highly regarded for starting to pave the path for equality for African Americans. Lincoln is featured on the United States’ currency and there are multiple memorials dedicated to him. 

 

Throughout the rest of Lincoln’s presidency after the end of the civil war, he continued to change in his thinking in actions and become more and more accepting of African Americans and their place in the states. If Lincoln had not had an open mind and had stuck with the Constitution, he would not be the revered man that he is today.

 

Although it can be hard to have an open mind and to look at opinions that are different from yours, there are many benefits to it. 

 

Seeing multiple angles and sides of things allows you to be a better leader. 

 

If you can relate to your people and understand how they feel and what they think, you will be able to better serve them. Those following you will be much more willing to sing your praises if you are able to help them in the way that they need. 

 

Are you having trouble having a more open mind? It’s all about attitude. You need to allow yourself the opportunity to open your mind. Opening your mind doesn’t mean immediately changing your beliefs. Instead, you are looking at all the facts and alternative opinions. 

 

You are not immediately disregarding anything that doesn’t fit with what you think. Instead, consider these other ideas and compare them to your own thoughts.

 

It is very easy to remain close-minded and stick to our old thoughts and beliefs.

 

But this world is ever-changing and it needs us to change with it. As a leader, it is important to understand these changes, even if you don’t agree with all of them. The people you are leading might relate to these changes or be a large part of them. 

 

Being able to connect with them or understand where they are coming from is extremely important. Just like Lincoln was able to adapt and make changes for his people which lead to wonderful things for the United States, other great leaders around you will do so as well as they utilize their open-mindedness. 

 

Learn From Great Leaders: The Benefits Of Responsibility And Dependability

Responsibility and dependability are two things that carry a lot of weight. When you are responsible for someone or something, you are the overseer of it. It is your job to take care of it until that responsibility is shifted away from you.

 

When you are dependable, others can count on you to keep your word and follow through with your actions. While these two things require a lot of work and effort, they also come with some benefits. A quick look into history can help demonstrate the benefits that came with the addition of responsibility and dependability for one man.

 

Before the United States was its own country, it was a group of states that was still ruled by Great Britain. During this time, George Washington was starting his life on his own. He began his military experience by serving and being a commander in the French and Indian War.

 

Years later, he ended up becoming an integral part of the Revolutionary War through his previous military experience and political position. After being named commander in chief of the Continental Army, he began the long task of gaining independence for the states.

 

History.com discusses Washington and his history. It says that “Washington proved to be a better general than military strategist. His strength lay not in his genius on the battlefield but in his ability to keep the struggling colonial army together...His leadership during the winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a testament to his power to inspire his men to keep going.” When the war ended, Washington was declared a national hero. 

 

After signing the peace treaty, Washington gave up his position and returned to his home, excited to get back to his crops and plantation. However, the new country had different plans. 

 

Washington had become so popular during the war that he was the first choice for the new presidential seat. He eventually took the position and served two terms as president. After serving as president, he finally returned to his home where he lived the rest of his life, dying just a few years later at 67 years of age. 

 

Throughout Washington’s life, he carried a large amount of responsibility and showed his dependability. 

 

Because of how well he led the soldiers to victory and independence, he was given the benefit of the first choice for the presidential seat of the new country. Had Washington done poorly during his time in the war, this would have not been the case. 

 

Because of this, he is now a highly regarded individual in the United States. As the first president, his face is on our currency both paper and coin. There are many buildings and other monuments dedicated to his name. He is celebrated on his birthday every year and he is studied in all history classes. 

 

While being the first president wasn't what Washington originally intended to do with his time after the war, it ended up being a great reward for his hard work during the war as well as providing an increase in responsibility that has led to him being so revered.

 

While taking on responsibilities and being dependable in your own life will probably not lead to monuments being built in your name, there are benefits to showing and acting on these good qualities while you are leading. 

 

Washington is just one of the many examples of great leaders who show that you reap what you sow. When you put in the work and take your position seriously, good things will come out of it. 

 

The Best Leaders Thrive Through Struggle And Adversity

It is easy to be a leader in the good times. When there are no problems or conflicts there is nothing challenging you or forcing you to change and grow. However, the best leaders are able to thrive through struggles and adversity. 

 

A great example of a leader that thrived in struggles and adversity is Nelson Mandela. 

 

The nelsonmandela.org website discusses his life and influence. Mandela was a great leader in South Africa who worked to help the country get out from under the previous government’s hold. He was very involved in the country's politics and he consistently worked to begin the necessary changes. He helped with protests, strikes, and led an armed struggle.

 

For his actions, Mandela was jailed multiple times with the final time being for twenty-four years. Once he was finally released, he immediately threw himself back into the political field. 

 

Four years after leaving prison, Mandela became the first democratically elected president of South Africa. “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Quote by Nelson Mandela from his speech from the Dock on April 20, 1964.

 

A large part of what made Mandela such a great leader was all the troubles his country was going through. If there had been better leaders in power, he might not have gotten into politics or made it as far as he did. 

 

Even after being in prison for a large part of his adult life, every time he was released, he would be in the midst of things once more, attempting to make positive changes. Mandela's motivation to make things better for his people was his driving force but the trials that he went through only amplified his results. 

 

In your own life, you will witness many leaders. Most of them will go through struggles and adversity. Some of the problems will be because of their leadership position while other issues could be caused by personal or other problems. The best leaders will thrive and make it through these tribulations while the weaker leaders will not. 

 

In your own life, while you are in the midst of troubles, it can be very tempting to quit or give up. 

 

However, consider those in your life who need you to be strong and continue on. Your family, friends, and coworkers rely on you, to some degree. If you are in a leadership position, it is especially important that you continue on. Use the tribulations to your benefit. Allow them to inspire you to keep working and press on harder.

 

When looking at history, the most revered leaders were noticed in times of trouble. Wars and other political problems help bring out the best leaders to the foreground as they deal with problems that have possibly never occurred prior to that moment. 

 

Mandela is a great example of this. In different circumstances, he might have been just a normal guy. The world might have never known his name. 

 

Life will always provide difficulties and new problems.

 

The best thing to do is to keep moving forward and working hard. Look at the leaders in your life and see how they deal with struggles. What do they do when new problems arrive? Some people have more experience with handling difficulties but it can always be good to see what others would do in your place and how to strive through struggles and adversity.

 

What It Means To Be A Leader In Your Personal Life

Being a leader in your personal life is exactly how it sounds. Not only are you a leader to yourself, but you are a leader to those directly around you. Some areas in your personal life that you can be a leader in are within yourself, your family, a club or organization, or your job.

 

Being a leader within your own family means that you are someone that the others within your group look towards for guidance. 

 

This could mean that you are a leader of your children, your spouse or partner, your roommates, parents, or even friends. 

 

This could mean that they bring their personal problems to you for advice or solutions. They might even bring problems to you simply for you to hear them out and act as a sounding board. 

 

Another way that you can be a leader for your family is by dealing with problems before anyone else even realizes they are there. 

 

Examples of this are airing up your car’s tires, restocking household items, or replacing a lightbulb. 

 

Having a leadership role within a club or organization means that you are in a position of power. Whether you hold a title such as president or you are the founder, you are a major source behind the organization. 

 

Being a leader of a club often means that you are the one setting up meetings, fundraisers, or other activities. You are organizing supplies, purchasing new materials, or cleaning up after get-togethers.

 

Possibly you are giving speeches or introducing people or talking to the media. As a leader within the group, you are a major source of representation for them. To gain leadership positions within clubs and organizations, you often have to have great attendance to their activities, put in extra work such as bringing supplies, volunteering your time, or staying after to clean up. 

 

You also have to have a passion for their purpose.

 

If you don’t care about their mission or goal, the members of that community are not going to want you to lead them. One other thing that is important is how people view you. 

 

In clubs and organizations, leadership positions are often voted upon. People often don’t want to put reckless and irresponsible people in charge. Whoever they feel sets the best example for their group and is helping move the group in the right direction is often who they will choose. 

 

Being a leader within your job can be different than in other areas of your personal life. Anyone can be a leader, no matter what position they hold, but often, the most promoted individuals are the biggest leaders.

 

If you show great leadership skills such as working hard, being on time, doing your job right, putting in extra time, going above and beyond, and more, you are more likely to be promoted. When you are promoted to a manager or team leader position, you are often given a group of people that you are supposed to lead. 

 

Unfortunately, there are not always positions available for you to be promoted to. Even if there is not a higher position, you can still be a great leader in the current position you hold. This might mean being a leader over yourself more than over other people, but you are still being a leader in your life. 

 

Overall, there are many ways that you can be a leader in your personal life.

 

It doesn’t just mean having a management job but could mean leading your younger sibling. There are always numerous ways that you can be a leader in your own life, even if that just means leading yourself. 

 

Strategic Thinking 101

Being strategic is all about planning ahead, focusing on your goal, and taking steps to get to it. It is important to consider all angles and their possible negative outcomes. Being prepared for anything to go wrong and having a few backup plans is always helpful. 

 

By focusing on strategic thinking, you are making a strategy to get to an end goal. Throughout history, some of the most revered strategic thinkers were political or military leaders. Some examples of some strategic individuals include Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Jeff Bezos. 

 

Let’s consider an example to explore strategic thinking. You are a high school student and you are planning to sell cookies at the school bake sale. You want your cookies to be the preferred choice and sell more than any other item. Now that you have a goal, you need to get your strategy together. 

 

Consider your assets. You need to have good cookies. If your cookies only look good, you might get some sales but no return customers. In order to have good cookies, you need to either make or buy good cookies. 

 

This means that you might be spending some time improving your cooking skills by taking classes, seeking out a tutor, and practicing. Not only do you need to know how to bake them, but you need good ingredients. By buying very good baking products, your cookies will taste better. Once you have determined the best time to make the cookies before the sale, your assets are covered. Now to consider the next part.

 

Consider your consumers. What type of cookies are the most popular amongst the students and staff? If you cook some really great oatmeal cookies, but no one likes oatmeal, you won’t get very many sales. Do some research to figure out what product might be best. You can ask your peers or have them sample a few of your cookies to see what they like. Take their preferences into consideration. Once you know what cookies they like, you need to market. 

 

If the bake sale is not already well marketed, you will need to help it out. It is very hard to sell cookies if no one is there to buy them. Putting up some flyers, talking about it to your friends, and posting on social media is a great place to start.

 

Bring a few sample cookies around and inform everyone who tries them that more can be purchased at the sale. As you finish preparing for the sale, you could consider your competitors, your presentation of the cookies, how to handle rescheduling dates, and more. Now you are ready to sell those cookies. 

 

In the previously explored exercise of bake sale cookies, there are many things to plan out and many steps to take in order to increase the possible positive results of the high school baker. This is just a small-scale glance into strategic thinking. 

 

Napoleon Bonaparte’s strategizing was most likely very different from Jeff Bezos.’ Every situation will be different when coming up with a strategy but every part of it is based around planning and action. Strategies involve having set ideas in place that can be followed in certain circumstances.

 

When coming up with your own strategy, make sure to consider all angles. You are forming a road to your goal and you want to make sure that you get there. Anticipate your opponent’s moves, plan for reactions, and counterstrategies.

Take plenty of time to think through your plan and ideas. Don’t rush or get distracted when working on your strategy. With plenty of time and practice, you can become a master at creating strategies. 

 

What It Means To Be An Effective Leader

Not every leader is effective. In today’s world, there are many leadership positions available and therefore, there are many people filling those leadership positions. But are they effective? Take a look at the leaders around you. 

 

Most leaders are people who are placed in higher societal positions such as being a manager or owner of an establishment. They are the coaches, principals, teachers, and counselors of schools. The captains or seniors of your sports teams. 

 

The individuals who hold positions within your clubs and organizations. Leaders are also the people throughout the world that others look to and follow. There are many leaders all around us. 

 

When you think of your boss or coach, what comes to mind? An effective leader is a successful one. They are able to help organize the people under them and call them to action. 

 

Let’s look at a sport’s team as an example. What does a coach do for their team in terms of leadership? Communication is one of the largest parts of being a leader. Any coach in a leadership position can talk to their team.

 

But do they light a fire in their team’s hearts? Do they cause the team to feel motivated, united, and ready to play? When an effective leader speaks, everyone listens. Not just because they are interested in hearing the material, but because they respect their leader. 

 

They might not always like what they hear, but they listen and are often willing to do what is asked of them. 

 

Another large part of leadership is being an example. There are many people in leadership positions who are not good examples. They give a bad image to the group they are representing and they influence their team to act poorly as well. 

 

An effective leader is a great example. They practice what they preach. For a sports coach, this doesn’t just mean doing the drills properly. It means having good sportsmanship, having a good attitude, and looking out for their team. It is really hard to respect and take a leader seriously if they are being a bad example. 

Being a good example doesn’t mean that they don’t ever make mistakes though. When an effective leader makes a mistake, they apologize and right their mistake, admitting to what they did and then making it better. 

 

Passion is another large part of being an effective leader. A lot of times, people will end up in leadership positions that they don’t really want. In the sports world, this most often happens when a team needs a coach, and a parent or other volunteer steps in even though they would much rather not. 

 

They may be fulfilling the leadership role, but without passion, it can be very difficult to be effective. When a person is passionate about something, they put all their energy and focus into it. You can tell in the way that they speak and the way that they act that they really care. When someone cares about something, they take a lot more steps to help them succeed. This passion can turn a leader into an effective one. 

 

There are leaders all around us. But once you take a look, you should be able to identify the effective leaders in your own life. You yourself can be an effective leader. Assess yourself and identify the ways that your leadership skills can improve. 

 

Just like with everything else in life, practice makes perfect. The more you work on being an effective leader, the better you will become. Overall, the effective leaders around us are those we strive to be and look after. They are the best of us. 

4 Simple Strategies for Becoming a Better Leader

Do you aspire to be a good leader?

 

Maybe you're a bit nervous by the thought. You might be overwhelmed or think leaders are born not made. But you can learn to be a good leader by learning some simple strategies. 

 

Think of the leaders you know who you respect and admire. Chances are, they all have the following qualities in common. Here are four straightforward strategies you can use right now to be a better leader for your team.

 

1.    Earn respect

 

Good leaders earn the respect of their team and others. They are not afraid of getting their hands dirty or too important to dig in and work with their team when the going gets tough. 

 

A true leader doesn’t sit in an office on another floor and hand down ultimatums. How can you know your team unless you’re out there with them? A good leader will, at the very least, schedule regular team meetings and knowledge-sharing sessions. They will listen and work with their team to hit their targets and get the outcomes they want. 

 

2.    Keep Learning from your Team

 

Good leaders don’t think they know it all. They listen. They ask questions and learn from their team members. The final responsibility for making decisions lies with the leader, of course, but they know the value of their team's skills and experience. True strategic decision-making relies on everyone. 

 

Working alongside your team, really listening and observing what’s going on, will give you more significant insights into how your team works and how to get the best out of each team member. 

 

3.    Share Your Knowledge

 

In return, a good leader shares their knowledge. As well as learning from their team, leaders are committed to keeping the communication channels open. 

 

They value their team and believe in the importance of knowledge transfer. A leader can bring a different perspective to a situation, whether that knowledge comes from greater experience or knowing the context. 

 

4.    Make Good Decisions

 

A leader will make better decisions when comfortable in their skin, and they know their limitations. They know the skills sets and strengths of their team and how to cover and improve the gaps. 

 

Good decision-making relies on knowing the details of the project and the context, the way the team and the organization works, and how to get the best out of everyone. 

 

4 Ways to Be a Stronger Leader at Work

Right now, the world needs influential leaders more than ever. If you aspire to be a stronger leader, there are several character traits that you can cultivate to turn your leadership style from okay to exceptional. 

 

Analysis of transformational leaders has shown that they share certain qualities that make them inspiring and empowering. How can you hone your leadership skills to become the more influential, dynamic leader you aspire to be? Start by following these strategies to develop your leadership skills.

 

1.    Leader, Know Thyself

 

The first step in supercharging your leadership potential is to understand your leadership style. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses, the things you enjoy about leading, and what you find challenging. 

 

There are quizzes available on the internet to help you discern your leadership profile and what gaps you need to address. Once you know your style, you can begin to work out how to improve. 

 

2.    Focus on Your Communication Skills.

 

Effective leaders have excellent communication skills. That doesn't just mean they know how to work a room or deliver a presentation or negotiate a killer deal. It means they know how to talk with and listen to their staff. They know how to communicate their vision and inspire commitment and loyalty. 

 

Make it a habit to sit down with your team members to talk about both work and non-work related. Listen to what they have to say. Know what’s going on for them, their hope and fears. Make a real connection with your people. 

 

3.    Build A Collaborative Team

 

Great leaders know that they have all the answers. They value their team’s range of skills and experience and encourage team approaches to problem-solving. A more democratic leadership style yields positive results, with more innovative ideas, greater commitment, and better productivity than traditional management models. 

 

4.    Celebrate Success

 

Celebrating success is essential in keeping your team’s motivation high and will go a long way to making your leadership stand out as exceptional. 

 

Your people will feel appreciated if their hard work is acknowledged and marked in some way. Whenever the team hits a project milestone, have a celebration. You can even set up a rewards and recognition scheme, like public thanks or movie tickets, to acknowledge the exceptional effort.

 

You can make it a habit to mark every team achievement, big and small, by having a morning tea or after-work drinks or a team dinner to celebrate finishing a project or closing a deal.