3 Simple Steps To Be A leader People Want To Follow

To be a great leader you first must lead yourself.

It’s not that difficult to take on a leadership roll in the work place today, companies are looking for motivated people who ready to step up and take on more and more responsibility, a self starter, a person that is not afraid of a little hard work.

 

Truth is just because a company promoted a person to a leadership roll does not make them a leader people will want to follow!

In order to be a great leader you must gain peoples trust and respect. One of the best ways to do that is to lead by example. Never tell someone to do something you would not do.

When I was in construction I learned this from an “old timer.” I was working as an apprentice and just passed my test to become a journeyman in the building trades. The next step for me was to run my own jobs, I’ll never forget the advice of that old timer, he sat me down one day looked me in the eye and stated: Never tell someone to do something you would not do yourself. Steve if you want to earn the respect and trust of people you must first respect and trust yourself. I never forgot his words, they served me well over the years.

I was blessed in the trades, I raised a family and lived a good life.

Over the years there were 3 key elements which helped me to be very successful:

Respect

When your in a leadership roll it is easy to demand what you want people to do, the challenge with that people become unhappy and not very motivated. Always treat people who you would like to be treated. If an employee does a task well always compliment their work tell them how much you appreciate their hard work. When was the last time someone reached out to you and told you how well you were doing your job? Respect helps develop confidence and fosters and environment of dignity.

Communication   

Seems like this one is missing in most business today. People can’t read your mind!

Dwight Eisenhower said it best: “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do what you want done because he wants to do it.”

You must be clear and informative, if done correctly you will inspire and motivate. The goal must be realistic and achievable. Begin the day not just getting your message out! Let that person know the importance of that task for the day. Always ask for their feed back. Most importantly listen to what is said. None of us know it all. Great work is always done best when working as a team.

Stay Humble       

This doesn’t mean you let people walk all over you. Or not taking credit for what you have done right. It means always admit when you make a decision and the results don’t work out as you planned. Make a decision and stick to it. Never point the finger at another person and blame them if the results are not favorable. Acknowledge to your people that you think they would have done a better job. You will be looked at much different if you leave your ego at home.

The good news is anyone can learn to be a leader. It takes practice and commitment every day.

This week implement the three elements referenced above.

You will be amazed with your results.

~Stay Strong~