What advice do you have for an aspiring leader?

First, you have to know why you want to be a leader. If your looking for power, control, or glory then you might want to rethink your desire to be a leader. Always know why you are doing what you are doing and be honest with yourself.

If your still with me, then create a plan to improve your leadership skills. Below are a couple of good options.
1) Toastmasters - In toastmasters you have the opportunity to grow your leadership skills by doing. Richard Branson once said, "You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over." Toastmasters is a safe place to learn and to learn from your mistakes. Also, if you can lead volunteers, you can lead anybody. It's a great way to learn leadership by doing leadership. Volunteer to be an officer and do it to the best of your ability.

2) Reading leadership books - There is a wealth of books about leadership. John Maxwell is my favorite author. Nobody is a born leader, everyone has to learn leadership skills. Books are a great way to learn from others. Even if you only get 2-3 ideas from a book that help you the rest of your life, it's time well spent.

3) Learn from your life experience - Hold yourself accountable for continuous improvement. You are going to make mistakes and that is OK. The most important thing is to learn from your mistakes. Try not to make the same mistake twice. It takes a lot of reflection to identify why things don't work out. Don't be quick to blame others, but instead look for things your could have done to improve the situation.

When I was a young leader, I thought it was cool until I had to remove a person from the team for the good of the team. Being a servant leader (Servant Leader, Ken Blanchard: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003X27230/ref=pe_385040_118058080_TE_M1T1DP) doesn't mean you serve specifically a single person, but you serve the team.

Good luck on your leadership journey. I wish you the best.

Hi! Great job reaching out for advice and for choosing leadership as a focus. I would advise seeking out strong leaders and do three things:

1. Reach our to a strong leader and ask them to mentor you. Be prepared to tell them what you are looking for from them. Definitely come with an action plan as a suggestion and humbly receive the gift of feedback.
2. Locate a list of leadership attributes and examine yourself.
3. Shadow a strong leader or see if you can volunteer time to act as apprentice.

Best to you!!

Be authentic.

Listen. Be thoughtful about the different opinions and ideas you hear, and then having listened and formulated the best plan, present your thoughts about the best way forward in a way that encourages others to agree and join you.

Build trust. Trust is built through transparency (don't allow some people to know certain things and others not... that builds barriers, conflict and politics; instead be open so everyone can be engaged and on the sage page) and trust is built through integrity.

Lead. Don't wait for someone to ask you to lead, and don't worry about having a title. It's easy to spot leadership and they'll know. It will be the person taking initiative, being creative and pushing forward while bringing everyone together to fight for the same goal.

I think the most important thing about good leadership to understand that often it's like air-- you can't see it but you can feel it. That's the type of leader I always aspire to be. A leader leads-- and the best example of how is by serving. A servant leader earns the most important type of respect because they possess intrinsic authority-- those that radiate leadership qualities without lording it over people. This is in contrast to explicit leadership, which is usually authority granted by virtue of a position or level of a hierarchy. The most effective leaders are those that possess both of those types of authority simultaneously. Think about authority figures you have had in the past and consider which ones you have liked or respected the most. Usually they showed a lot of caring toward their people, they would get in the trenches with them and serve right along side of their charges-- that's the example we should take and become. Leaders don't need to know everything-- they just need to know how to find the answer to everything, and leverage those resources in an effective and optimal way. And wisdom is the glue that holds that all together, and that comes from experience. And always remember-- good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions!

If your reason to become a leader is to be "the boss" and "call the shots", that is not the correct motivation. A leader thinks in terms of, "how can we solve this problem?" "What's best for this organization?" And the best leaders already visualize in their minds, the best and shortest way to get from point A to point B. To become that leader, you need to observe many leaders to see what works and what doesn't. It's really about common sense-- and sadly, some folks got it, and some don't.

Hope this helps. Let me know what you think, and I wish you a lot of success!

Some things to consider:

Understand what it truly means to be a leader. What's the difference between leading and managing? Leaders influence people. Leaders empower and enable people to reach or exceed their potential. Managers do lead people but tends to focus more on numbers, projects, and data.

Hi Joy,

As a leader I find it very important to be open to feedback. Always ask for the feedback on presentation, email you might have shared, overall communication. This will help you see how other see you and did you deliver your massage the way you wanted it to be delivered. It will give you confidence in your work and reassure you that you are on the right path. Pay attention to leaders around you - you will identify what you want to or do not want to do, and how you want to lead.

Find a mentor. Interview those that are in leadership roles and gather their knowledge to help you you identify what is and makes you a great leader. Also, read a few books on leadership knowledgeiskey

Do something you’re really proud of that you can point to as your greatest accomplishment.

Hi Joy, I think the first thing is to be your authentic self. Leadership is a learned characteristic, so I recommend reading, studying and learning different leadership styles that fit you, and practicing your leadership qualities. You don’t have to have a specific title or employees, but you can be a leader at your school, among your peers, or even your co-workers. Leadership is a journey to help others achieve their own goals. Keep learning and finding ways to develop your leadership and don’t be discouraged when you make a mistake or have face obstacles or challenges. It is all part of the road to being the best leader you can be!

One thing a leader is not is a person that tells others what to do and how to do it. A leader evaluates his team and understands the different personalities he/she is dealing with and adapts his/her behavior to each individual's needs. In leadership, the golden rule we've all learned does not apply. You have to treat others the way they want to be treated, and we're all different, but by doing so you're building trust and relationships that will enable you to maximize the results from each team member. A leader is also a coach and a mentor, a leader does not see him/herself above others, a leader sees him/herself as part of the team and is ready and willing to roll up his/her sleeves at any time. A leader understands what are the capabilities and limitations from each team member and works to utilize the capabilities rather than focus on each individual's limitations. A leader also listens and is compassionate, understands the human aspect of business and when asking for extraordinary results, he/she also works alongside his/her team to deliver on the extraordinary expectations. People that only direct, demand, and dictate are not leaders as usually people don't respect that type of authoritarian style.

I've learned a lot that has advanced my career from reading books and watching key notes from author Simon Sinek. I strongly recommend him!