9 Inspiring Ways to Establish Yourself as a Leader ...

One of the most inspiring ways to establish yourself as a leader is to encourage others. Encouragement is such a powerful gift you can give to someone. Sometimes all it takes is for one person to believe in someone and you have the power to be that positive influence! To be an inspirational leader you will need to focus on encouraging others.

Great leaders don’t ever let down those who follow them; great leaders will always remain loyal and committed to those who look up to them. Remember that it’s your responsibility as a leader to lead from the front and lead by example through thick and thin. Loyalty ultimately goes a long way – if you can influence those around you and build a level of trust, your team members and followers will be more willing and joyful to follow your lead.

Similarly, if you can develop an honest relationship with those around you, you will become a more respected, loved, and followed leader. People want to know that honesty and open communication are at the top of your list. If others get the sense that you are honest, they will in turn be loyal to you and value you more. It’s easy for leaders to get cocky and stretch the truth about something for the sole purpose of getting ahead in their careers, but remember that honesty goes a long way.

Getting too personal with your team will sabotage the image they hold of you in their mind. Ultimately, if your team is coming to you with personal issues, rather than opening up your own can of worms and getting personal in return, make sure to maintain professionalism at all times. Is it OK to relate to them and share experiences? Yes. But make sure that each time personal issues surface, you turn the conversation around by focusing on coaching and mentoring to better them, rather than turning it into a vent session.

Leaders who remain positive as well as exude confidence will go a long way. Remember that the secret to keeping a positive mental attitude is: gratitude and self-love. If you are in a leadership position, it is crucial that you become your biggest cheerleader. Loving yourself and feeling a sense of pride in all of your accomplishments will give you the strength to get through the tough times.

Don’t lose focus on your end goal. If your ultimate desire is to become the manager of your company, or to run your own office, or even to become a specialist in training, write down the steps you will need to take to get there and keep your eye on the ball. Outside forces will throw curve balls at you and distract you from achieving your goal – it’s up to you to distinguish which opportunities and people will help you reach your goal and which opportunities and people will bring you down.

Does real life impact leaders? Yes. Do things get hard? Yes. Being able to block out all the noise in your life is a skill that can be mastered. Anytime the little voice inside your head tells you “you’re not good enough” or “you cannot amount to anything” or even “you will fail so don’t even bother trying”, make sure to fight those thoughts with “I love myself and will succeed”, “I can achieve greatness”, and “I am strong, confident, and brave; I always win”.

You will never be done learning: adopt a student mentality as you continue to climb the ladder to your success! There are going to be people who want to see you do well, who have more knowledge or experience, and who want to help you. Open yourself up to learning from them rather than pushing away their extended hand. Too much pride can destroy the student mentality and will eventually destroy your opportunity for growth.

Don’t just talk the talk but also walk the walk. People are drawn to those who exude confidence. Confidence is the glue that ties all of these tips together – a confident attitude is power!

Watching the successes of others whom you lead will be confirmation that you have become an established leader! Remember that you have the power to focus on being a positive influence or a negative influence in other people’s lives. How will you inspire and establish yourself as a leader?