“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” John C. Maxwell.
Have you ever thought about being a leader? To be an effective leader, you must have “soft skills”. That’s what will set you apart from other leaders. But maybe you feel you can’t develop your leadership skills because you are not in a position of leadership. So how you can improve without practice? Well, there are plenty of ways to practice leadership and it starts with you.
How can this be?” you may ask. It starts by you leading yourself. In fact, I am a believer that in order to be a good leader, you have to lead yourself first. A definition of a leader is someone with the ability to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform well. But, how do you expect to inspire others if you can’t even control your own actions? Say you set goals and you know they are important to complete. Yet every attempt, you end up postponing them. If you can commit to doing something for yourself, how do you expect others to commit to you? Ask yourself, “What are the outcomes that I have set for myself?” Do you even know what they are? You see, leadership starts much earlier than when we get into a leadership position at work or school.
Light box Leadership has listed the following 7 simple yet powerful core principles to effective self-leadership:
- Know your personal mission, values and vision
- Be responsible and accountable for your actions and reactions
- Develop self-awareness in all areas of your life
- Cultivate EQ Emotional Intelligence
- Be financially responsible
- Be physically healthy
- Create goals, systems and habits to succeed
Practice responding to the following:
I intend to:
Because:
How will I do it?
How will I know it worked?
What will I do next?
Next week’s blog: The fact is that we all have opportunities to lead. Let’s discuss more about leadership skills. Seizeing Opportunities
Week 1: Introduction: The Softer Side
Week 2: What are the Most Important Soft Skills?
Week 3: Five Key Principles of Successful Connection
