Leadership Skills: How To Be A Leader And Where To Start

Leading is one of the most basic parts in a career. When you are being able to lead, you are not only opening more doors towards your career path but at the same time, being able to gain respect from your fellow colleagues.

Leaders or born or nurtured? I always believe anyone on Earth can be a leader. It is just a matter if they are willing to work the best and be a good example or just work for the sake of earning money.

Here are a few characteristics one must practice to be a better leader.

Second chance a must

I always feel this is the hardest part of all. Yet, if you are able to do it, you will not only gain respect from others but at the same time, you are giving other people a chance to grow. You might even come across talented individuals who could assist you in daily operations.

I know my first mentor as Mr. Roy who has a very unique personality. He gave everyone chances and opportunities over and over again regardless if that individual had done the same mistake twice. I asked him why and he gave me a simple answer that changed me forever. He said "Everyone does mistakes. How do you feel if you did a mistake and you are given a second chance?"

From then on, I knew he was not only a great leader but also a teacher. That individual might hate you skin deep but as long as you give him a chance, he or she might be able to be a better person and learn from his mistake.

I learned that giving another opportunity is always a good choice regardless of who the person is. Never stop giving opportunities to anyone as everyone is entitle of them.

Going the extra mile

As a leader, we must be willing to take up a new task. There is a very high chance that that particular task could be outside our job description. However, doing more means learning more.

We have to be able to try on something new. Regardless of how is the outcome, we must be determined to try our best. At the same time, by doing the extra we are actually showing the rest that we are also in it and as a leader, you will do more and be a good example towards them.

Never put away a chance to do more. The more we do, the more we gain knowledge. It could very well be something we are not familiar with but every time we do something new, we will learn even more.

Greet everyone

Until now, this is still one of the most surprising methods some one had taught me. Every time you step into the work place, greet everyone you see. Oh yes, for the first few days, people might think you had won yourself a lottery, contest or even lost your mind. However, keep on doing and you will be just fine. Over time, we will gain others respect not only as a friend but also a leader.

Look out for the effect after you do this for a month. Ever wonder what will happen? They will greet you even before you greet them! Yes! I have even tested it out myself and it works. People will tend to recognize you and they will think you are a friendly person. This is the very first step of making sure your staffs have a good impression on you.

A simple greeting and question on how was their day could prove as a stepping stone on maintaining a healthy relationship with every one regardless of rank and file. By just giving a simple greet, we are acknowledging them as a co-worker and a part of the team. Imagine the feeling of stepping into the office and the first thing you hear is "Good Morning! Taken breakfast?" Sounds interesting? You bet!

Promote team effort

In order to order or guide a person to do some task, we must show that we are also doing it! Let me tell you a simple real life story. I have been working for this international chain company. We are given all the best equipment, technologies and enough materials to do our job right.

We must always show to the rest that even with the high technologies, we need team work to be successful. Work is never about one man show but it is more to team effort. One must felt being left out as they need to feel being 'owned'. If they feel they being cared for, they will also feel motivated to do better.

However, here comes the catchy part. Only a handful of staffs are doing great and the rest are just average or even worst. Yes, you read it right! So what is the root factor of the cause?

Simple, the boss is the core factor of the staffs’ performance. Let me explain in a simpler manner. As a boss or a person who has the higher authority, we must show a good example. We should lead them more instead of giving orders as if we are in a battlefield.

Sometime we need to guide them through even though the task might be a simple one. It is never easy but staffs of all rank and files love the feeling of being cared for and they are important. By showing to the staffs that we are doing it also, we are indirectly telling them that we are into it also. We all work as a team and team work is the core of everything in order to be successful. We have to show them that not only the products or services are important but they are also important to the company.

Know your team

To be a good leader, we need to pin point what is the team greatest asset as well as liability. Assets must be maintained while liability must be contained. However it does not mean that liability must be kicked out. It simple means that we should your our liability to the fullest.

I always feel that no one is a bad hat to the company. However, we must be smart and try to tackle the problem. There is many ways to overcome the liability. There are various ways to approach a person. Different people have different approach. Being able to determine the right method is indeed the winning ways to be a successful and well respected leader.

Product knowledge

Besides that, let's not forget about our products. In order to guide and lead, we need to have a great knowledge of the products we are selling. So guys, know the basic is never enough! As a leader, we got to be proactive and trying to improve. Our staffs count on us to solve a matter. By having a better understanding of a product, we could assist our fellow co-workers especially during crucial moments.

Having a wide knowledge of the products also shows that we are capable of leading. As long as a staffs feels that we are good leaders, they will be motivated to work harder and better together to achieve something.