You Can Be a Leader. In Fact, You Already Are!

Did you know that only 1% of the population is natural born leaders? So that old saying “great leaders are born, not made” can only be correct if 1% of the population is leading something. That can’t possibly be right! There are leaders everywhere doing everything.

The dictionary defines a leader as “someone who has power or influence over others”. Based on that definition, everyone’s a leader in some aspect of their lives. Maybe they’re a leader in their career or they could be a leader in their personal life. If someone is a business owner or a manager, they’re definitely a leader. If someone is a coach or holds a position in a service organization, they’re a leader. Parents and teachers are leaders.

There are also leaders who lead in a negative way. Think of a drug kingpin or a terrorist. They’re leaders. Adolf Hitler was one of the greatest leaders in the history of the world. He was a homicidal maniac and he got an entire country to follow him down the path of its own destruction.

The ultimate leader, however, was Jesus (I think). He started the largest religious movement in the history of the world and it’s still growing. He inspires faith and trust in people even now and that’s why they follow Him.

Good or bad, positive or negative, all leaders do similar things to get people to follow them. We’ve already established that everyone is a leader is some capacity in his or her life. If you struggle with your leadership position, below are some ideas that will help you develop your leadership skills:nn? First, be a person of your word. I know people that will say they are going to do something and sometimes they do it and sometimes they don’t. It’s difficult to trust them if I don’t know what they are going to do. If I can’t trust them, I can’t follow them. To be a good leader, you must be a person of you word.nn? Second, be willing to fail. No one will follow you if you’re not willing to put yourself out there. People respect those who give it their all, even when they don’t succeed.nn? Third, act as if every person you meet has a sign on their chest that says, “Make me feel important”. You know how people say that natural leaders are charismatic. One reason people are charismatic is that they make others feel better about themselves when they are around. So everyone wants them around and will follow them.nn? Finally, learn to communicate well. The clearer you are with your vision, your goals and needs, the easier it is for others to see it and help you reach it.

Developing these skills is just the start to developing your leadership skills. While they seem simple, it will take time to grow into them. However, by reading this, you’ve already taken the first step because you’re now more aware.

Just by putting these skills in the forefront of your mind, you will start doing what you said you were going to do. You’ll take more chances and make others feel important. You’ll work on your communication skills. Be conscious of what you’re doing and continue to grow. Great leaders are always growing.