Becoming a Leader

Photo: Kit8

Leadership is learned and becomes automatic throughout time. Some people are naturally born with leadership skills, and some watch and learn from others. Becoming an effective leader is more about what you do rather than what you know. Making the right decisions for not only you but those who look up to you.

The first starts with keeping promises. Leaders are tasked with doing so much that things may become forgotten or unapparent, that's why you should never make a promise without the intention of following through. "Nothing kills credibility quicker than unfulfilled expectations," says Mark Sanborn from Entrepreneur. Sometimes keeping promises is harder than not keeping them, so know when to set the bar and say "no", and when to take on the challenge.

Communication is one of the most important traits and skills of great leaders. Many times leaders seem intimidating to others with their title and influence, but leaders who encourage others to speak their opinion are the ones most well connected to the people. To involve everyone is to gain trust from everyone and even see their perspective of you. Whether it be good or bad it will help identify where success is needed, and where it is best.

Leaders are mostly in charge of making the first decisions for people, pathing the way for those behind them. So to be a great leader, you need to make great decisions. Focus on constantly "making things happen" to always sustain progress. No matter how slow or fast, short or far when progress was done, progress is made. Also, take time to learn others view of the future and try to keep a balanced perspective for all. Keeping a clear-cut view of the future helps with making decisions in the present.

Photo: Cliff Knecht Artist Representative

A leader isn't only about helping himself, a leader is about making sure that those around them are steady before they are. To lead by example promotes future leaders by practicing what you preach. Only when people observe great leaders will they know why they need to become one for others.


by Lucas W.

Works Cited:

Llopis, Glenn. "The Most Successful Leaders Do 15 Things Automatically, Every Day." 18 February 2013. https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2013/02/18/the-most-successful-leaders-do-15-things-automatically-every-day/#57b4dbd469d7

Sanborn, Mark. "5 Ways to Train Yourself to Be a Great Leader." 3 April 2013. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226265