Helen Keller once said: When one door of happiness closes, another opens. But often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. Have you ever given this Helen Keller quote any thought? Think about it for a moment. How does it play into leadership behaviors?
Ultimately, leadership is not about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success, and then standing back and letting them shine.
Nothing really prepares you to be a leader. In most cases, you get the opportunity to lead by being good at something else. However, while being a strong performer gives you the credibility to lead, it says nothing about your ability to lead. Leadership is a skill in its own right and, for the most part, it’s one you learn on the job.
Ever wondered how the best leaders handle being at the top so effortlessly? The truth is, these highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves.
It happens to them, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.
Let’s examine 8 leadership game changing behaviors that can help in the way you are perceived:
Get into action
It is critical that you learn the importance of the start. This relative to whatever you have been postponing. Just do it, as Nike likes to tell its customers and potential customers.
If you wait for the perfect time to start, it will never happen. You will have accomplished nothing.
Great leaders don’t work in existing systems. They change the systems to give them what they want.
They don’t delay the start. They come up with new options for jobs, projects, and professional development. Many of these their bosses hadn’t even thought of.
They see an opportunity coming their way before most of the rest of us have even looked up from our laptops. They don’t hesitate to seize the initiative, do they?
Observing and learning from those around you makes you stronger, better. Never fail to see its value.
Your peers, as well as competitors, can usually teach you more than your friends. Let them. Learn from them.
To be a great leader, you need to have a strong will and an even stronger stomach. At the end of the day, you need to remind yourself that your job isn’t to make everyone happy. Rather, it is to improve the organization as a whole.
Good leaders are constantly trying to improve. They surround themselves with the ablest people they can find. They look squarely at their own mistakes and deficiencies.
They ask frankly what skills they and the company will need in the future. And because of this, they can move forward with confidence. Confidence that’s grounded in the facts, not built on fantasies about their talent.
Leadership behaviors … ask for help
Never, ever, hesitate to ask for help in anything you are doing. You can’t possibly know and keep up with everything. Ask, listen well, and learn.
Leadership behaviors … keep things in perspective
Find balance in everything you do in life.
A man should never neglect family for business.
It’s important to have work-life balance. Never be so consumed in business activities that you neglect the individuals whom you need the most.
But aside from this, great leaders know they need a balanced life. A life so that they’ll learn more about other people, gain perspective, and grow their own knowledge.
It’s easy to fall into the idea that our work is all that matters. You are not the center of all things important. The lives of others don’t revolve around you. Don’t act like they do.
Persistence is key. Always keep up the effort as you will never know how close to success you may be.
Think about your energy. It’s not just about what you like best, but about what feeds you. It is also what depletes you. And who.
Do what you can to increase the good stuff and decrease the bad. You just need to realize you have the power to accomplish it. Much more than you may have imagined.
Eliminate whatever it is in your life that’s draining you. Replace it with something that inspires you. This will definitely help your persistence.
No fear of failure
No matter how confident someone may seem, everyone is afraid of failing. All of us are afraid of screwing up or afraid of looking stupid.
But great leaders know that everyone they interact with is also afraid.
These people are successful because they act in the face of fear. They go after what they believe, seek change, and, ultimately, make a difference.
They also believe they can take a risk because even if they fail, they’ll be able to learn from it and overcome it.
Their fear doesn’t hold them back. Instead, it springs them into action. They know not stretching themselves is worse than failing.
Dreams always follow those who have the courage to fail. Those that do, get up, and reflect and learn from the experience
Wear your passion
Always wear your passion in what you are doing. To do that, you must find those things that you love. Follow the passion.
Passion it is what gives you the strength to overcome the obstacles to everyday tasks. Passion is your power. It is what keeps you going when everyone else gets tired and gives up.
Continuous improvement
Always work hard at being a little better than you were the day before. Continuous learning is one of the most important attributes in both your work and personal environment.
Great leaders know that every step they take, every decision they make, matters in the end. They know they must strategize carefully, and then act decisively.
They know they must think ahead. Not just to their next step, but to the many steps after it.
The bottom line
We all have our talents, but the innate ability will only take you so far. In the final analysis, what makes transformational leaders different is their ability to transform themselves to suit the needs of their mission.
Practice these leadership behaviors often. Think ahead for your greatest leadership advantages.
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you.
It’s up to you to keep improving your ability to lead. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, history may be providing ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
It’s up to you to keep improving your leadership learning and experience from all around in your environment.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Try. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your leadership better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed how reasonable we will be.
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