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Introduction

Leadership isn’t a title, it’s a mindset. If you want to become a great leader, you have to adopt the right mindset and behaviours. Here are some ways that can help:

Believe in yourself

The first step to becoming a great leader is believing in yourself. It’s difficult to lead others when you don’t believe in your own abilities, so start by taking stock of what you’ve already accomplished and what you’re capable of doing. If you want to be an exceptional leader, then it’s important to believe that you can do it.

If anyone has ever told you that they don’t think your ideas are good enough or told you that your actions are wrong, remember: those people do not have any power over what happens next. Don’t let their opinion or advice get under your skin; just focus on the task at hand. The only way for things to change is if someone takes action—and if that person isn’t going to be them, then maybe it should be someone else?

Be confident, but not cocky

Being confident is a good thing, but cockiness is not.

A confident person is someone who knows what they’re talking about, values their own ideas, and doesn’t back down in an argument. A cocky person may have all those qualities, but they also think they’re better than everyone else. They might even insult other people’s intelligence or skills to make themselves feel more important.

A confident leader will listen to others’ ideas without interrupting them—and without letting their own ego get in the way of what’s best for the group as a whole.

Stay true to your values and principles

There are many ways that you can become a great leader. One of the best ways to be a good leader is to keep your values and principles in mind.

For example, if one of your personal values is being honest, then you need to be honest in all situations. If another value is helping others, then make sure that this principle comes through in all situations as well.

You should also consider the values and principles of the organisation that you work for or are part of. Does it have a mission statement? If so, learn about its goals and objectives—these may give insight into their values and principles as well as help guide your own decision making process when making choices on how to lead effectively.

Be positive

Positive people are more likely to succeed. That’s right, we said it. The power of positive thinking is real and very important. When you’re surrounded by negative people in the workplace, you need to be able to stay focused and keep your mind on your goals and objectives instead of getting bogged down with their negativity.

Being positive impacts everything from how well you work with others, to how much effort you put into a task or project. If someone else is offering criticism about something that has gone wrong on a project you have worked hard to complete; instead of giving up hope or allowing yourself to feel dejected, try reframing the situation as one where there was an opportunity for growth rather than defeat – this way, you’ll get back up on your feet with renewed enthusiasm!

Be flexible and adaptable

Being flexible and adaptable is an important leadership quality. As a leader, you have to be open to new ideas and willing to change your opinion when warranted. You also need the ability to adapt to different situations and different people with ease. This will help you lead in a way that makes everyone happy and comfortable.

Flexibility is critical because there are always situations that pop up that aren’t expected or planned for; without it, you may not be able to respond effectively or quickly enough when these situations arise. Being flexible allows your team members’ creativity shine through as well, allowing them more freedom of expression which ultimately leads them being happier at work!

Have humility and compassion

As a leader, you should have the humility to be honest with yourself. You need to be able to admit when you’re wrong, and even better: you should welcome criticism when it comes your way. And if someone calls out one of your mistakes or makes a mistake themselves? It doesn’t mean they are a bad person – it just means they made an error in judgement and want to learn from it.

Humility also means being able to accept praise where it is deserved. Take credit for achievements but don’t let them go to your head; instead, let them inspire you and motivate yourself into doing more good work for those around you!

Strive to learn and improve every day

As a leader, you should strive to learn and improve every day. You can do this by studying the leaders around you—your peers, your direct reports and mentors. You should also reflect on your own leadership strengths and weaknesses as well as past successes and failures in order to identify areas where you need to improve or make changes in order to be an even better leader tomorrow than today. You should also look at the past few weeks of experiences that have helped shape your personal growth as a leader.

Keep growing, keep learning

As a leader, you need to keep learning and growing.

There are many ways you can do this. You can learn from others, from your own mistakes and from watching others in your organisation.

You should also read books, listen to podcasts or watch videos about leadership topics that interest you. Finally, get a mentor who is willing to help guide your development as a leader – someone who has been successful at leading people themselves or knows what it takes for someone else’s success as a leader (or both).

Being open to feedback also helps with continuing improvement because if you’re not being challenged by those around you then they won’t be able to give their honest opinions when necessary.

Take care of yourself physically and mentally, too.

  • Physical health: In order to be mentally and physically fit to lead your team, you need to take care of yourself. It’s important that you get enough sleep and eat a healthy diet. It may also be helpful for you to exercise regularly or do something else that keeps your body healthy and strong so that it can support your mind.
  • Mental health: The way we feel about ourselves has everything to do with how we act in the world and what kind of leaders we become. If we don’t believe that we’re good people, then our leadership will suffer as a result because we won’t have confidence in ourselves as leaders or be able to trust others who are being led by us. When we’re feeling down about ourselves, it’s important for us not only to be aware of this problem but also address it directly so that things don’t get worse than they already are!

Be a problem solver, not a finger pointer

Your team is full of smart people with diverse skills and backgrounds. That’s why it’s important to help them solve problems from the start, instead of just pointing fingers and blaming others when something goes wrong. Ask yourself: What would happen if I didn’t do this? How can we resolve this without making excuses or being a finger pointer? And what are my possible roles in resolving this issue?

The goal is to help your team feel empowered instead of powerless. If you don’t let them take responsibility for their own mistakes, they will never learn how to grow into real leaders themselves!

Leadership comes from within

Leadership is not about what you do, it’s about how you do it. Leadership is not a title; it’s a mindset and skill that can be learned by anyone willing to put in the effort. So if you want to become a great leader, don’t wait for someone else to hand over leadership duties. Take charge of your own future!

If you ever find yourself asking “What does it take to be a great leader?”, know this: leadership starts with self-awareness and ends with impactful action. In other words, becoming more self-aware and taking actions based on your newfound understanding will help make sure others see their best selves reflected back at them through your leadership efforts (and vice versa).

If we look at the dictionary definition of leadership as “the art or science of effective management” (Merriam-Webster), then becoming an effective manager depends on how well we understand ourselves—our strengths and weaknesses—as much as how well we understand our teams’ needs.

Conclusion

We hope that these tips have helped you to understand what it takes to be a great leader. Leadership is not simply about having power or authority—it’s about inspiring others, being positive and helpful, and making decisions that benefit everyone involved. As we saw in the example of Deborah, who was able to use her skills as a leader when she needed them most (during the attack on Brookhaven), there are many situations where having good leadership qualities can help you make better choices during times of crisis.