We read a lot of information, but still did not find the answer to the question: “How to become a leader?” So, let's figure out who a leader is and what qualities he should have.
In this article we will tell you:
- Who is a leader?
- Types of Leaders
- What qualities should a leader have?
- What does a leader do?
- What skills and abilities does a leader have?
- How to form and develop leadership qualities?
- Tips and tricks for future leaders
- Leadership Development Exercises
Who is a leader?
A leader is a person with authority in a group of people, a team, or a team. The leader motivates the team to complete tasks and achieve certain results, strives for personal success, the success of a project or group.
A striking example of leadership is Natalya Fefilova, development director of 404 Group. Natalya told us about her development as a leader.
Natalya created a department whose employees were actively lured away by competitors in the market. Having a note in a resume that a person worked for a company became the best recommendation when applying for a new job.
In difficult, crisis conditions in the company, Natalya managed to retain the team, unite employees (and clients) and survive for 1.5 years. Clients and employees literally became advocates for the brand because Natalya interacted with them personally a lot. In the absence of a vision from business owners, she came up with a model of “small visions” to give the team the vision for the very future that was needed.
Exercise No. 9. Difficult choice.
This exercise will help you learn how to make choices . Your job is to consider each possibility without resorting to a phrase that starts with “yes, but...”.
For example, “I want to buy a car, but the following is stopping me...” Now make a list of obstacles and options for overcoming them.
Such a task may upset or anger you. Try to overcome this and complete the exercise.
What types of leaders are there?
Social psychologists distinguish 3 main types of leadership:
- The leader-organizer is an activist, organizes all events and helps resolve most of the team’s problems. Knows how to cheer up and support. Focused on solving the task at hand.
- A leader-fighter is ready to defend his point of view to the last. Not afraid to take risks. Takes on complex projects that some may find insurmountable.
- A tyrant leader is a powerful and authoritative person. Very often instills a sense of obedience in his subordinates. They obey him without complaint and sometimes even fear him.
What qualities should a leader have?
The strengths of a leader are:
- Confidence . A leader is always confident in his own abilities and in critical situations he acts boldly and decisively.
- Charisma . A charismatic leader is able to make a strong impression on others, charm and inspire success.
- Coolness . The ability to remain cool in any situation is one of the main advantages of a leader.
- Self-control. A leader must be able to withstand mood swings and be able to pull himself together.
- Persistence . In achieving goals, perseverance and perseverance are a plus for a leader.
- Determination . A true leader must be decisive and capable of taking reasonable risks. The strong qualities of a leader help him achieve great success in life.
Every person, even a leader, has his own weaknesses. For example, excessive self-criticism or “delusions of grandeur.” The main thing is to recognize your weaknesses in time and start working on them.
What does a leader do?
A leader always clearly sees the goal and plans the optimal stages to achieve it. He analyzes and soberly assesses the current situation. Motivates, inspires and controls the team. A leader knows how to admit his guilt for wrong actions. The leader works on mistakes and looks for ways to resolve them.
A striking example of effective leadership is Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. He was a tough and demanding leader. Jobs was obsessed with making the best products and bringing them to perfection. He paid attention to the smallest details in everything. Steve Jobs charged those around him with enthusiasm. Created an atmosphere of cohesion in the team, where each subordinate contributed to achieving goals. He was one of the world's outstanding leaders.
Characteristic
Not everyone is a leader. A person whom others will definitely follow must be:
- purposeful - clearly outline the goal and achieve it by any means;
- persistent - in case of failures, he does not stop, as he focuses not only on the final result, but also on the process itself;
- overactive - always half a step ahead of the others;
- flexible - can adapt to almost any situation or conversation, while respecting individuality and following their interests;
- sociable – communicates everywhere and with everyone;
- self-controlled - even in the most unforeseen situations remains the sole master of his emotions and actions;
- organized - always and everywhere clearly organized, acts according to its plan;
- able to persuade and lead their team;
- able to constantly motivate subordinates to achieve results.
Every manager must be a leader, otherwise his management will be far from perfect. However, not everyone who is a natural leader holds a management position.
What skills and abilities does a leader have?
Here are a few key leadership skills:
- Ability to persuade and inspire . It is one of the key qualities of a leader. A leader must be able to inspire the team and convince them that they can achieve any goal.
- The ability to make decisions and take responsibility for them . By the way, a leader is responsible not only for making the right decision, but also for his team.
- Skills for setting and achieving goals. In the endless race for success, it is very important to discern the desired goal, develop a strategy and achieve results.
- The ability to concentrate on what is most important. Concentrating on the problem and its solution, and not being distracted by other tasks, is an important skill for a leader. Without this, you can forget about success in all matters.
- Listening skills. Also, the basis for success is the ability to listen, hear and interact with the team.
These skills are essential to becoming a leader. Therefore, try to develop them as much as possible.
Exercise No. 2. Success Diary
Get yourself a notebook and every night before going to bed, write down in it a few things that you accomplished today. This must be done no matter how bad the day turns out to be.
The way human memory works is that we remember pain better than joy, and most people at the end of the day remember mainly its hardships and troubles. By concentrating on the bad, we lose energy; by concentrating on the good, we recharge
Show your will - concentrate your attention on those situations in which you won. Record these situations using a Success Diary
How to form and develop leadership qualities?
Developing leadership skills is a long and persistent process. It requires constant work and self-control.
To develop and form leadership qualities, you need to adhere to several rules:
Rule #1: Plan your activities daily. The most important condition in achieving the intended goal is to correctly set, distribute tasks and time for their implementation. Carefully write down goals, thoughts, strategies on paper. In the evening, make a detailed plan for the day and try to stick to it.
Rule #2: Stay calm. A leader must always control his emotions. In important matters, you cannot cut from the shoulder. You need to try to remain calm and make decisions thoughtfully. During a stressful situation, try to breathe slowly, taking a deep breath in and out. Have you calmed down? Now you can think about a solution to the problem.
Rule #3: Be responsible. The leader is responsible for the correct setting and implementation of the goal. Therefore, make sure that the tasks assigned to the team are completed.
Rule #4: Watch your image. Attractive appearance, good manners, posture - all this plays a major role on which the relationship between the leader and the team is built. Straighten your shoulders, straighten your back. During conversations, look your interlocutor in the eyes and remain calm. Watch your appearance. Remember that an unkempt person with disheveled hair does not inspire any confidence.
You can develop the listed qualities yourself or turn to professionals for help and take, for example, image courses or public speaking courses .
Tips and tricks for future leaders
Very often, a future leader does not know where to begin his development. This gives rise to the fear that nothing will work out, and that in general it was a bad idea.
We suggest starting your leadership journey by following these basic recommendations:
- Set SMART goals. Many people fail because they set vague goals and don’t know exactly what they want to achieve. Set yourself an exact goal. Consider the timing and methods of its implementation. Mentally imagine the result and write it down on paper.
- Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Fear of the unknown often prevents you from taking the first step. Learn to let go of fear. Let's say you are afraid of speaking in front of an audience. Set a goal for yourself to get rid of this phobia. Determine what is difficult for you in this situation and make a plan for implementing the action. For example, give a short presentation in front of colleagues. An important attribute of a leader is the ability to overcome one’s fears. Success can only be achieved through trial and error, overcoming uncertainty, fear of change and failure.
- Engage in self-development. Do you want to become an unrivaled leader? Start attending leadership development courses, read blogs, newsletters of successful people and learn from their experiences. Learn a foreign language and train your memory. Expand your horizons.
- Speak publicly more often. Gaining trust and impressing others with the right, well-spoken language is an important leadership skill. To develop these qualities, you can attend public speaking courses.
You can, of course, not take any courses and study on your own, but by learning from the experts in your field, you can achieve success faster. Remember, nothing is impossible. The main thing is your desire and perseverance.
5 best books for leadership development:
- "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John Maxwell . The author questions the phrase “Leaders are born, not made.” In each chapter, the author reveals the essence of the laws of leadership and, using the example of others, shows how you can apply them in your life.
- "Turn Your Ship Around" by David Marquet. The book was written by a nuclear submarine captain. In it, he talks about his experience of changing the mechanism of interaction between crew members and overcoming any obstacles to the cherished goal.
- "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey . An international bestseller for people seeking to develop their potential. The author says that every person can overcome any obstacles by improving themselves and becoming the best version of themselves.
- "On the limit. A week without self-pity” Eric Bertrand. The author’s main idea is to live just 7 days at the limit of your capabilities. In the book, he talks about the intensive program you need to follow to become the best version of yourself. After completing the intensive course, many obstacles will seem like nothing to you.
- “Leader’s Charisma”, Radislav Gandapas. A well-known leadership specialist in Russia tells in his book how you can develop the ability to influence people, motivate, inspire and captivate with a common goal.
3 best motivational films for leaders:
- "Wall Street". The film tells the story of a young broker and his stunning ups and downs. He is ready to do anything to achieve success in his career. The film will be useful for those who are unsure of themselves and are afraid of making a mistake. Remember, mistakes build character.
- "Harvard Bum." The film is based on real events. The heroine, who grew up in a family of drug addicts, is trying to get out from the very bottom of her life and she succeeds. She finds the strength to get up and move forward. If you feel like nothing is working out and you're on the verge of despair, watch this movie. Perhaps after watching, you will change your point of view and begin to act.
- "The Pursuit of Happyness". The main character's life is going downhill. The wife left, leaving her little son, and was evicted from the apartment. He gets his dream job - in a trading company. True, I'm still an intern. Constant malnutrition, lack of sleep, spending the night in the toilet and free hostels. He endured everything. He built a business and became a successful millionaire. This film will be useful for those who have lost faith in victory when faced with insurmountable obstacles.
The heroes of these films did not give up. They fought for their destiny, despite hunger, fatigue and failure. There is a lot to learn from them. At different times in your life, when it seems like everything is lost and you can’t achieve anything, watch these films. They will help you cope with despondency and charge you with motivation.
Exercise No. 3. Opinions of others
Record and listen to the recognition of the people around you about your strengths and weaknesses. This will require great courage from you, but it must be done.
Make a list of several friends or relatives from whom you feel love and a desire to help. Ask each of them to write why they love and respect you and, conversely, what annoys and annoys them about you. There is only one condition: the number of advantages and disadvantages should be approximately equal.
After you collect the notes, read them in their entirety. When you find the strength to find out someone else’s opinion about yourself without tension (without shrinking from fear or shame), you will get rid of many internal pressures.
Hint: your inner critic will constantly tell you that all this is nonsense and not worth the effort. Don't let him stop you.
Exercises for developing leadership qualities from Natalia Fefilova, development director of 404 Group
There are special exercises for developing leadership qualities:
Exercise “My Leaders” - learning to learn from others
- Name at least three leaders with whom fate has encountered you.
- Rate them as leaders: good, fair or poor.
- Now list three main characteristics of each.
- From the resulting nine characteristics, choose three that influenced your own views.
Exercise “My Victory” - development of personal integrity and motivation
Remember and write down any of your victories. It doesn’t matter what: play, study, work. Something that happened to you and at which you were better than others. The size of this achievement is not important.
Now, try to understand what exactly you did better than others. What allowed you to be better. It could be a skill or knowledge or understanding of some principle. Write it down.
Now imagine being asked “how did you do it?” Imagine explaining to others how they could be better. Now imagine all those people in your country, on our planet, whom you could help improve their results.
All! You are a leader for a certain part of the people. It doesn't matter how many people you could help. The main thing is that you could already become a leader. And that means you can in the future.
This exercise can be performed several times for different achievements.
Exercise “Elastic band” - developing confidence
This is a fairly well-known exercise that is useful not only for leaders.
Remember the moments when you felt the most confident in yourself. Maybe it was a successful exam, the best result in a sports competition, a performance at a concert, or you simply managed to do something better than others.
Remember a moment when you felt like a hero. Once again, experience it emotionally vividly. Note the supporting symptoms of your confidence.
Put a medical rubber band on your left wrist. Now, repeating the technique described above, if you feel a surge of uncertainty, you need to pull back and sharply release the elastic band, “anchoring” the uncertainty with a painful sensation. The pain blocks her.
Having created a state of confidence in yourself, you need to reinforce them with a positive emotion, for example, drinking a cup of your favorite coffee or eating chocolate candy.
It is enough to work with an elastic band for a month or two and you will be able to give it up, having learned to build confidence in yourself.
If you decide to become a leader, no matter what it takes, don’t stop halfway. Go forward towards your dream, use the exercises we described and increase your self-confidence. I wish you success!
Exercise No. 1. Dialogue with the inner critic
If there is “someone” inside you who constantly tells you that nothing will work out for you because you are incompetent (a slacker, a mediocrity, a good-for-nothing, a dumbass, etc.) - learn to object to him. Do not listen silently to everything he says and, especially, do not agree with him. If he annoys you, then be annoyed!
Take the time to write down everything he says. Even if there is zero meaning in his words, write everything down. The only condition is to speak and write in the second person. Instead of “I'm stupid” or “I'll never become a leader,” write “you're stupid” and “you'll never become a leader.” After that, answer him as if he were a cocky but cowardly bully: “So what?”
Approach his words from a philosophical point of view. Ask yourself: “Who am I when this voice is silent?”
A great way to destroy the inner critic is a success diary .
