How to Be an Inspiring Leader

There are certain attributes that all great leaders have. Cultivating these skills will help you motivate, manage and make the best team you can possibly have.

Let your staff know that you are there. Talk to them and get to know their names. Don't waste their valuable work time but make sure they know that you are genuine and that you are as productive and involved in the job as they are.

If you have multiple work-sites, visit them on a regular or rotating basis. It can be frustrating for employees to have a manager that doesn't exist. When you visit the different locations, get involved in what they are doing and help out if you can. You should know how to do every job and being able to get down on every person's level will lend credibility to your position. You aren't too special to bag a burger and fries, my friend. Jump in and become part of your crew. That's how you gain respect.

The greatest leaders have the ability to recognize the importance of team building. It's a simple concept. You select a group of people, teach, inspire, motivate and press-go. Although it doesn't happen as fast as it reads, tenacity is important when you set your goals. Everyone on your team should be aiming for the same target. It's similar to roping cattle; when one get's loose, you steer them back in to the group.

"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." -Theodore Roosevelt

Your goal is clear. You know exactly what you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it and when you want to be there. The team you have put together should be stating the same testament that you believe with the same fervor that you have for achieving the goals in mind. Attitudes are contagious so you should deliver constant reminders of positive vision and achievement paths. Continue to emphasize how you will succeed and your staff will follow suit.

"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already." - John Buchan

Have you ever been inclined to follow someone who was unsure, timid, doubtful or didn't know what they were doing? Confidence seems to have a glow; a luster or sparkle that is unmistakable. When a leader hesitates, it sends a sort of shock wave behind causing the team to hesitate. Do your homework and be sure of your plan. Once you make your decision, follow your course with courage, strength and satisfaction.

From time to time you may realize that perhaps you've made a mistake. Don't let the operation fail because you are too stubborn to change your course of action. It's okay to admit that something isn't working. That's a sign of strength, not weakness. It takes a very strong person to say that it's time to change and to admit it to the team. Put the old course of action behind you, move on to the new and keep on truckin'.

If you see a staff member who is "off course", don't let them crash. You're the master and commander of the ship and the success of this voyage is on your shoulders, Captain. As the leader, either guide them back into the ranks or cut them loose. Either way, you must see to the needs of what is best for the entire vessel.

"A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." - Rosalyn Carter