How to be a leader at work Archives

7 Tips For Becoming A Successful Leader At Work

September 29, 2023

Becoming a successful leader at work can be challenging. You want to be the one your team looks to for guidance and support, but you may not be in a leadership role yet. So, can you establish yourself as a leader at work, and display the characteristics of a good leader daily?

There are many ways, but listed below are some things to start doing today. By doing these things, you can position yourself as a leader at work without being too obvious about your ambitions.

If you want to become a leader at work and develop your leadership skills, incorporate these actions into your daily routine:

1. Take On More Responsibility At Work

To become a leader at work, learn to take responsibility for anything that you’re interested in, and own it. That also means that as long as you participate in that project, you influence whether it fails or succeeds.

Learn to take responsibility for not just the good things, but also the bad things. Take ownership of your mistakes, and know it’s okay to be wrong. You cannot learn if you haven’t made any mistakes.

2. Believe In Win-Win In The Workplace

A rising tide lifts all boatsâalways think win-win.

It exists. Just because some may believe the business world is nasty, and that you need to be manipulative and maneuvering to win, you need not participate in it. In fact, make it your priority to not to be a negative and manipulative leader.

If you want to be a leader at work, believe in your positive leadership abilities. The positive influence you have on the people around you and the ability to inspire your team is right in front of you.

3. Strive To Push The Envelope

Try new things. Take some risks. Make yourself uncomfortable. Do the things that may make you look foolish. Seriously, what do you have to lose?

Leaders take risks. They are not afraid of doing what they believe is right. What are you willing to take a risk for? To be a leader at work, you need to take small risks, like taking on a project no one wants.

4. If You Have An Idea, Write It Down

I often say this world is full of people who talk too much and don’t do enough.

If you want to be a leader at work, act on something. Work on a plan. If you have ideas simmering in your mind, write them down.

It doesn’t matter if your idea doesn’t have a plan yetâjust write it down. If you don’t write it down, there is no record of the idea, and you won’t have anything tangible to present. How can it count? If you want to be a leader at work, you have to practice writing down everything.

5. See Opportunities Everywhere

There is no need to create leadership opportunities at work. The opportunities to lead are everywhere already.

You need to be mindful of these opportunities. An example of an opportunity you can capitalize on is taking on a project no one wants. If you don’t see opportunities like this everywhere, you are missing the point.

6. Be Open To Receiving Feedback

Be open to criticism. Otherwise, you are just living off your own opinions and ideas.

What does being open to criticism mean? When you are open to feedback, you are getting ideas and suggestions from others that are free. Oftentimes, these ideas come from people smarter than you. They will give you tips on how to improve and how to be better.

That’s what a leader needsâconstant feedback. You need feedback to be a leader at work, otherwise you are “feed-own” (I just created that word to mean feeding yourself) and you will go hungry soon. With no new ideas, a leader dries up.

7. Give Your Work Everything You’ve Got

Giving is how you open up at work. Pour out all you got. Express your ideas, thoughts, and plans. Feel the vulnerability and learn to like it.

When you pour all your ideas out, you will need new ones. Where do new ideas come from? They come from critics, from well-meaning supporters, and from the people you least expect. At the end of the day, more comes back to you. You have more to input. It enriches you, and that’s how you become a leader at work.

These are the seven actions you can do starting today to position yourself as a leader at work.

Remember, if you want to be an influential leader, do not be afraid of taking risks. You have more to gain than lose when you open up.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Why Great Leaders Need These 3 Personal Leadership Skills

February 21, 2023

Personal leadership is taking responsibility for all aspects of your life and leading it in the direction that is best for you. In order to be successful in leading at work, having strong personal leadership skills is critical.

When you are able to take responsibility for your own life decisions, you are better able to have a positive and inspiring impact on others. You are also able to be a role model for others in the leadership arena.

There are three factors that impact strong personal leadership skills…

A Good Mindset

Mindset is defined as “a fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.”

Having a positive attitude and perspective about personal leadership and making decisions that are in your best interest is your first step toward strong personal leadership skills. Having positive beliefs and expectations about what will result when you make choices is part of having a positive mindset about personal leadership.

Having the right attitude about developing your personal leadership skills is a great first step on the path to success. Then, you can transfer that success to your leadership skills at work.

Energy Management

The next important area is your energy. How are you managing your energy? Are you taking time to renew yourself? This all supports you in being able to make the best decisions.

This, again, translates into your leadership skills at work. Managing your energy in all areas of your life enables you to give your bestâboth personally and professionallyâand to be at your best when you are both at home and at work.

Strong Support Systems

The third important area of personal leadership is your support systems. Having strong personal leadership skills means you have a network of people to support you through making choices that are in your best interest.

These people are your sounding boards, your trusted colleagues, your family and friends, and really anyone who you define as part of your inner circle of confidantes. These are the people who know you and trust. They are the ones with whom you can share ideas and seek guidance.

This, again, translates to your being a strong leader at work. We all know the importance of having a strong network in our careers. When people advocate for us, listen to us, and help us, we repay the favor. Strong personal leadership skills require the same type of network.

Strong personal leadership is about being the best leader in your personal life in addition to your professional life. Having strong personal leadership skills also makes you an outstanding role model for those you lead at work and demonstrates vital skills they can incorporate into their own lives.

Development Tip: How are your personal leadership skills? Do you have the right mindset about leading your own life? Are you managing your energy well and do you have a support system behind you? Take some time to think about whether or not you are leading your own life as well as leading your work life.

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.