3 Steps to Be A Great Leader

Leaders are an essential part of every organization. They serve as examples for success. They encourage others to work to their full potential. They are trusted and counted on to be a consistent source of success. It’s easy to recognize a leader when you see one, but how do you become one? Anyone can be a leader when they have a good attitude, a strong desire for success and a willingness to work hard. Leadership skills are essential for success no matter what industry you work in. Follow these few simple steps and start your path to becoming a leader in your industry.

1. Hard work is not optional

The early bird gets the worm. There is no substitute for hard work.  These are all exceptionally true clichés that every leader must keep in mind. Leaders are willing to put in the time and effort required in becoming an industry expert.

In order to become the person your peers and colleagues will want to turn to for advice, questions or ideas, you have to learn the ins and outs of your industry, stay current with trends and keep pursuing opportunities to learn more. In addition to their own continued training and education, leaders encourage the same behavior amongst their team members.

2. Learn when to stay quiet

Leaders let their actions speak for them. When you are facing a dilemma, don’t go around complaining about how unhappy something makes you and stew over the problem at hand. Be proactive in your approach to problem solving. Address problems with actionable solutions rather than possible theories. Encourage an open forum to brainstorm solutions and ways to prevent future problems.

Also, don’t spend your time swimming around in office gossip. Leaders are people who can be trusted and it can be very hard to trust someone, if there is a risk that sensitive information could get out to someone else.

3. Take responsibility, even when it’s not easy

Mistakes are made all the time, in every industry. They are normal and somewhat expected. It’s how we handle mistakes that indicates our level of leadership skills. Some of the consequences could be minor, while others have larger ramifications. Whatever the case may be, it is inevitable that every leader will experience a situation when they or a teammate make a mistake.

Approach mistakes with a learning mindset. Try to see the opportunity for growth and take advantage of the mistake that was made. Ask questions like, “What caused this mistake?” “How could I have prevented it?” “How can I help prevent this from happening in the future?” “How can I help my team out in the future to avoid similar mistakes?” Learn to accept responsibility for your mistakes (and occasionally the mistakes of others) in order to maintain solidarity within the group and prevent the unproductive blame game.

Leadership is vital to every successful business. Not all leadership roles come naturally, but once you start to apply these principles, you’ll be a pro in no time. Becoming a leader might not happen overnight, but when you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to being the leader you always knew you could be!

Undergrad Success wants to thank our friends, gradberry, for this awesome post! Special shout-out to Andria, a content writer and career guidance expert for Minneapolis based company, Benchmark Learning.