5 Ways To Become A Successful Leader
Category : Leadership
You’ve probably heard many stories about how to become a successful leader, and you may have even read dozens of articles on the subject. While everyone has their own ideas about what it takes to be a good leader, there are some tried-and-true principles that can help anyone maximize their leadership potential. Here are five ways to become a successful leader.
1) Control your emotions
The ability to control your emotions is a vital skill for successful leaders, because no matter how great you are at managing your own feelings, there will always be someone who wants to push your buttons. The best way to learn emotional control is to practice—not by bottling up emotions, but by expressing them appropriately. This means knowing when (and where) it’s appropriate to vent and when you need to channel that energy into something more positive. The bottom line? Control your anger so it doesn’t control you. Some simple ways of doing that: take a deep breath or walk away if you need some time alone; try talking out your frustrations with a colleague; or write down what triggered your frustration and then work on finding solutions instead of blaming others.
2) Improve your body language
One of the easiest ways to project confidence is by improving your body language. When you enter a room or conversation, stand up straight and be sure to extend help when possible. It helps others see you as an authority. In addition, speak slowly and clearly, with an authoritative tone that shows you’re in control of your emotions. And learn how to read other people’s body language; if they seem tense or uncomfortable, ask what’s wrong so you can fix it before it causes a problem later on.
3) Extend help when you can
You’ll likely be a leader in some capacity at some point in your life, so it’s worth understanding how to extend help to those who need it. One of my favorite models is Gary Yukl’s leadership behavior model (Yukl is a prolific scholar of leadership and organizational behavior). In his model, he discusses three levels: task-oriented, relationship-oriented, and self-oriented behaviors. Task-oriented behaviors are outwardly focused and designed to get things done efficiently and effectively. Relationship-oriented behaviors are inwardly focused, designed to build interpersonal relationships with co-workers.
4) Use positive reinforcement
The way we tend to treat our children as well as our employees says a lot about how we feel about them. People are less likely to follow you if they don’t feel like you believe in them. That’s why it’s important to let others know when they’ve done something right, even if it seems small and insignificant. By constantly communicating your appreciation for their efforts, you will help them to feel appreciated and valued within your organization, which in turn can help motivate and inspire more ambitious behavior from everyone involved.
5) Be consistent
When trying to become a successful leader, it’s important to be consistent. People want to follow a leader that they know they can count on. If you establish your credibility early on, other people will come to rely on you as well. The sooner you have people relying on you, no matter how small or large of an issue it is, leads people to trust and respect your ability to act in good faith. Although consistency doesn’t make someone a great leader, without it it will be difficult for someone else to see those attributes in you at all.