6 Things To Keep In Mind When Trying To “Act” Like A Leader
Add to : Del.Icio.Us / Reddit / Digg / Stumble Upon
#1 - Know What You’re Talking About
This may seem obvious to many of you, but it’s amazing how many people are “experts” (”make money online” anyone?)! I wrote about this before, and I’ll say it again. If you have no clue what you’re talking about, don’t talk about it till you make some research and learn more about that particular topic. It’ll save yourself and other people time and energy. On the other hand if you really have a lot of knowledge on that topic, well go ahead and lead the way!
#2 - Leaders Are Decision Makers
Yes they are! Gotta be able to make decisions based on facts, and think rational. What is the next step? What is it that will take that business to the next level? Making decisions and taking responsibility for those decisions is really important when leading a team of running a business (or a blog!). What is it that we can do or work on, to pull in more profits? Asking questions is fine, but taking action is just as important!
#3 - Being Open-Minded
Listening to your team, to your customers, employees and business partners is crucial to the success of any business, and leaders have to take the time to listen. And listen carefully! Some folks in your team or some customers might come up “the” idea that will skyrocket your business! Be open-minded, open to new ideas. A little “outside the box thinking” never hurt anyone.
#4 - Lead By Example
Lead the way! If you work hard on something and it brings results, and people notice, it is very likely that they will see you as a leader. You have to be determined, driven and passionate. If you want your people to work more on this and that, or do things a certain way, show them how, and lead by example. If you do thing a certain way, and want your people to do things another way, chances are you’ll lose them.
#5 - Time-Management And Priorities
Everybody is busy, working on their own stuff, or on other people’s stuff. In order to be seen as a leader you have to manage your time well, have a schedule, stick to it, and let people know you have things to do (in a nice way, of course) and that you have priorities. Wanna get more things done? Start by scheduling!
#6 - The “No Ranting” Rule
While it’s fun sometimes to rant and talk trash about something or someone, it surely won’t make a leader of you. Wanna be a leader in a particular field? Stop the trash talk, stop whining, get things done instead! It’s pretty hard to motive a team to work harder when you talk trash about stuff, so stop it! I’m sure sure you’ll see an increase in productivity! Positivity is way better than negative and trash talk!
Your Opinion Is Very Welcome
So what is it that defines a leader? What do you think? Let’s talk about this! ;)
Add to : Del.Icio.Us / Reddit / Digg / Stumble Upon
If you enjoyed this post you might want to consider subscribing to my RSS Feed, and you can also receive updates in your e-mail, so you'll always be up to date. Thanks! ;)
22 Responses to “6 Things To Keep In Mind When Trying To “Act” Like A Leader”
Discussion Area - Share Your Thoughts
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Is No rant rule same thing as being optimistic? Oh and I read this quote about leadership once, I think it went something like, “A great leader is someone who gets you to do what he wants”.
Hi Deaf Musician! welcome to SWR!
Yeah, you’re right on the money, I think you could say that the “no ranting rule” is kinda like being optimistic.
I read that quote too somewhere, probably from Dale Carnegie’s “How to win friends and influence people” or something (excellent book, and a lot to learn about leadership in there)
Love point#1 - “How To Make Money Blogs” I believe we have just issued in the new era of the old pyramid schemes. Remember the idea of it’s not what you’re selling, it’s how many people you have selling it for you …. Execution is very important, and not just theories.
Did I go off topic :) This happens all the time….
I meant to say ushered in ….. :0
Hey Sharon! hehe no worries, not off-topic at all! :)
I think you’re right, you bring a really good point there - “it’s how many people you have selling it for you” , I see that like affiliate marketing, where you promote the products and services of the leader (read: the one who actually put the whole thing together) and earn a commission.
#4 is the most important.
Lead. Set the direction, the course, the tone.
Leadership isn’t a position with a title. It’s an ability to set a direction that others see as worth going in.
Shane, totally! (Zoomstart is really a great resource on the topic of leadership!)
Leadership is definitely not a position or a title, that’s for sure! Once people “get it”, and are with you on an idea and wanna be a part of your projects, then you know you’re doing something right. The rest is just a metter of staying “up there” and always kick things up a notch.
Jon… as you pointed out, making decisions and being open-minded are really important.
I think one key that separates good leaders from bad is knowing when to listen and when to decide. And not mixing up the two.
Dave! The point you bring is really strong, how many time have you met people who are said to be leaders, but never ever got anything done? A leader is someone who will listen, share, talk, research, then (most important and logical step, which a lot of people forget) will take action!
It’s real ok to listen, get a fresh perspective, listen a little more, get more idea, but at some point, gotta make the decision to do this and that, and go this way and not this way.. or else no one will!
Dave, you make a great point!
It’s so important to realize that as a leader you don’t have to have the best idea. You just have to recognize it and make the decision to go with it.
And for the most part that means listening. So you can tune in to the best idea on the table. No matter who’s it is.
Sharon, that’s true in any business, and always has been. A company that manufactures a product makes a lot more money if that product is sold in stores across the country than if that product is sold only in a little boutique in Des Moines, Iowa. It’s also the same concept behind franchising: the original corporation sits back and collects more and more money as new franchises spring up across the country. The disinction between those things and pyramid games isn’t the structure, which is fairly consistent for any business that is going to achieve maximum growth; it’s the fact that in pyramid schemes, there is no product.
Excellent post. You make great points.
What a great entry (and I love your hair - :) - which has nothing to do with your skills, unless your middle name is Samson and we don’t know it).
I like nr. 1. You are so right: many people talk (or write) just to hear themselves talking.
Hello Mihaela! thank you very much! Welcome to SWR, please make yourself at home! ;)
hehe, my middle name is “Charles”, (that’s what the C in Jonathan-C. Phillips stands for)
I’m happy you liked the post, I think #1 is the most important to me, talking about something you have little or no knowledge about can really affect your credibility, and credibility is extremely important in any business, when you lose that, you kinda lose more than just that.
Thanx again for stopping by!
Awesome Post my friend!
I thought I might share with you a list that I have that comes from an awesome classic that I just finished : Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
the 11 important factors of leadership
1. Unwavering Courage
2. Self-controle
3. A keen sense of justice
4. Definiteness of Desicion :)
5. Definiteness of Plan
6. The habit of doing more than paid for (wow)
7. A pleasing personality
8. Sympathy and Understanding
9. Mastery of detail
10. Willingness to assume full responsibility
11. Cooperation
Voila! Not everyone is a natural leader, but I think that anyone can Become One if he his willing to put the effort of sometimes, leadership is not a choice.
Hey buddy! Good points there! “The habit of doing more than paid for” ummm, i can relate I think!
Ok, now I have to read that book hehe!
Awesome article on leadership, Jonathan. Are you sure you weren’t a U.S. Marine in a past life?
Hey RT! hehe nope I wasn’t a U.S. Marine, I was a musician (according to some lady, who told me that a couple of years ago), and the weird thing is I still am! lol ;)
Good post & good points… and a timely read for me, as I may be approaching a clash of sorts with leadership in my place of employment. It’s a great time for me to evaluate leadership qualities, both in myself and those above me.
Thanks for stimulating some thoughts in my creaky old brain!
Hi Jaya! I’m happy my post gave you some food for thought. One important thing, you mentionned in you reply, is to evaluate leadership qualities, the simple fact that you are thinking about that shows you already have leadership qualities ;)
Nice information I like point no.1 &3 so usefull for me..Good Job Jonathan
Hi Franxbudi, welcome to SWR!
I’m happy you liked the post!