Developing The Leader In You

Here is an article I wrote sometime ago on developing your leadership abilities. As a business man you must learn how to effectively lead your team to achieve your organizational goals. Now, this pieces wouldn't turn you into a great leader like Lincoln, but it will help you get started on developing your leadership abilities.

There is a saying, that leaders are made not born. And this is true. Great leaders have to learn to be leaders. If your goal in life is to become a leader in whatever you do this pieces may help. Here are a few tips that will help you become the great leader you’ve always want to be.


1. Learn Self-Control. Great leaders have self-discipline and the will power that help them focus on their responsibility as leaders. If you don't have a goal and the drive to achieve it, you simply can't lead others to attain theirs. As challenging as it may be, you need to be disciplined enough to be where you need to be, when you need to be there, whether you want to or not. Becoming a leader take a a strong mind. Sometimes you'll need to let go of  your inner thoughts when they're not appropriate in order to set a positive example.


2. Communicate Your Goals. If the people you're leading don't completely understand the
goals, they won't share your vision or work ethic. Communicate with your team to make sure they're know what you want achieve as a team. Get everybody in your team involve in the planning  and implementation of your ideas. This will get everyone more committed to achieving the desire goal.


3. Praise highly and criticize constructively. Praise and criticize others
can make all the difference in being able to lead effectively. Generoursely praise the people who do excellent work for you. This will give the person a sense of accomplishment and the drive to do even better.


4. Know Your Team. You can't truly lead a group of people unless you truly
understand their hopes, dreams, struggles, pains, and goals. All the good intentions in
the world mean nothing unless you have a true sense of the people you're working
with. Have a talk with everyone in your team and get to know them. Getting to know each other on a
personal level will strengthen the bond between you. They'll want to do better for you
because you're more than just a "boss." you are more of a friend. You're their leader and that means
that you have to make difficult decisions from time to time. These decisions should not be
affected by personal relationships.


6.  Criticize Constructively. When someone does something wrong, offer constructive criticism and do it privately. Suggest solutions on how they can improve and take the time to answer any
questions. They'll accept your input more willingly if you make feel you are do what you are doing for their own interest.

5. Make the hard call. There are times when you have to bite the bullet and make
some unpleasant decisions. Firing, demoting, and holding people accountable for their
actions can be very hard at times. As a leader, it's your responsibility to handle
these matters.



Success!