Inspiring Ways To Be A Great Leader

Leaders aren’t only found in Fortune 500 companies or (gasp) political parties, they can be found anywhere. Everyone has the capacity to show the qualities needed to make a great leader. It is just whether we develop these leadership muscles or not. Being liked is always nice but it’s certainly not a requirement to be respected. Regardless of your position or your title, leadership traits have the ability to influence others towards achieving their goals and creating a work environment where people can really enjoy working together. Becoming a leader can be difficult as there are some organic qualities you need that can take time to develop. If you really desire to step into bigger shoes and to become a leader, these recommendations will help get you on your way to being a great one.

Building Trust: Teammates and employees need to know that you will support them in the decisions they make and that you show a genuine interest in their well-being. This helps show that, not only do you care about them, but you are also willing to protect them. Building trust helps show your team that their goals will never take a back seat to your own interests or motives. What kind of methods can you use to build trust?

• Take the time to learn something about them, not work related. Build rapport with your teammates.
• Involve them with decisions to show that their input is valued.
• Make yourself available to them. Reach out to them!
• Recognize and appreciate the contributions they make.

Coach Instead of Manage: Being a great leader means you’ll need to be a great coach. Coaches can be seen as people who can provide adjustments and feedback without people feeling hostility towards them. Leaders will help present the possibility of a future that can inspire people and coaches help inspire those people to take action. Your role as a coach is to be encouraging and motivating and to build confidence in your team. Be sure to reinforce any positive behaviors that are demonstrated with recognition. It can go a long way. In our network marketing businesses, remember this is a “Volunteer Army”. We aren’t anyone’s bosses in this business and sometimes you need to let people do things their way. Remember, they are stretching their leadership muscles too.

Open Communication: As with any relationship, personal or business, a key part to building trust is through an environment that allows for open communication. Allowing your team to be able to speak honestly and candidly without repercussion can firmly establish a bond. Be sure to have your team ask questions and bring any concerns to you. If they feel they can’t, it can be detrimental to achieving success and reduces any chance of establishing trust. You will be able to increase credibility if you’re willing to accept feedback and provide solutions to any worries or concerns they may have. Listening to your teammates is key. Sometimes they just need to vent and then will be able to move on. Sometimes you have to encourage them to set a timer for how long they are going to vent before they move on. 🙂

Utilize a Mentor: It’s always helpful to have someone that YOU can go to that already possesses strong leadership skills. It won’t be too often that someone will just come out and offer to mentor you, so you will most likely need to seek one out yourself. Try to find someone that shares similar values with you and select one that you get along well with. Someone that is different than you and that has what you are looking for. Then when you are faced with those tough decisions, try to picture how your mentor would approach the scenario and arrive at a decision. This can often help put you on the right path. Act like they would and you will soon become more like what are you seeking to be!

Show Confidence & Take Responsibility: As a leader, you will need to make some big decisions and stick by them. You will need to be confident that the decisions you make are the right ones. There’s no room for you to waiver on tough calls. The decision could end up being wrong, but it needs to be decisive. The worst decision is NO decision. You can always adjust and you will know soon enough if it isn’t the right decision. Always stay ethical and honest. We only have one reputation and one bad decision can take that away from you in a heartbeat. The golden rule applies in network marketing too! If you make a mistake, ensure that you own up to that responsibility. Make sure that you are willing to discuss with your team and the decisions they make when you know something is going on that shouldn’t be. It’s important to support and assist your team but to also give them the confidence to make decisions, take risks and speak up. Encourage your teammates to create great relationships with their own teams, with their uplines, and with the corporate management. These relationships are worth their weight in gold in our business!

By helping to clear obstacles for your team, you clear a path for them towards creativity, innovation, and empowerment. You need to be sure to get their input. Make you are providing your team with what they need to achieve success. If they’re already meeting or exceeding their own expectations, make sure to encourage them and guide them as necessary, always recognizing their contributions and positive aspects!

We are all a work in progress. If you focus on the positive, so will they! Here is to your leadership style and success!