1. Lead Yourself
Learn to lead yourself before you try to lead others. Leadership begins with learning how to manage your own personality, temperament and time. How well do you fulfill your daily tasks and responsibilities? How does your attitude affect the atmosphere in your home, workplace, volunteer organization or religious group? Examine yourself. You can't lead others effectively until you lead yourself positively and constructively.
2. Think Like a Leader
Good leadership skills involve being a good thinker. A leader is responsible for establishing the goal of the group he or she is leading. The goal is the bottom-line, the thing you're going after. Establish the results you want and plant them securely in your own mind. You can't lead anyone anywhere if you don't know where you're going and why. Get a vision. Write it down. Identify the resources, people and the functions of those key people to achieve results with bottom-line thinking as a leader.
3. Clear Communication
Communicating clearly is vital to good leadership. Good leaders think, plan and establish goals, then share the vision with the group. But communication is not just talking. A good leader takes time to listen to those who follow. Let them ask questions. Take time to explain what they don't understand. Allow followers to share their thinking. Someone in the group may have an idea you haven't thought of yet. Treating followers with respect, courtesy and kindness goes a long way in becoming a great leader. Accept input from others. If the idea doesn't pan out, at least the follower feels heard, respected and like a member of the team. Build a team and build relationships as a leader.
4. Tried and True
Establish trust. Trust is necessary between leaders and followers for success in any area of life. Be flexible in your dealings with people. Good leaders are able to work well with people of all cultures, ethnic groups, religious affiliations and sexual orientations without judging or criticizing. Difficult people are everywhere. Not everyone will admire and respect you. But learn not to alienate certain people before you have a chance to establish trust. Seek to understand others before you expect others to understand you.
5. Leadership Levers
Leadership involves motivating others to gain momentum toward the goal. Encouraging words, great quotes from positive thinkers and vision boards are all great leadership tools. People respond to praise, not criticism. Of course, deal quickly and firmly with laziness, rebellion and disrespect. Good leaders refuse to put up with troublemakers. Leadership requires firmness, but always professionalism.
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