BECOME A THOUGHT LEADER

To be a successful and effective entrepreneur or business owner today you need to have great leadership traits. Leadership traits that inspire action, and build loyalty. Nobody wants to follow a boss, but they will surely get behind a true leader.

Management and business owners are often referred to as “bosses” by employees. A lot of people have dreams of being “the boss” one day, but being a boss isn’t a good thing.

You see, there’s a big difference between a boss and a leader. A boss typically directs workflow from the rear, telling, and demanding people do as they say. Often with threats to employment.

A leader directs workflow from the front, setting the standards and being an example. Often with a dedication to help, train, and support the employee towards success. The leader inspires action by taking action themselves, not by demanding it, and they build loyalty by doing admirable deeds.

I don’t think we’re all natural-born leaders, but leadership traits can come to you over time if you’re serious about your self-development. So here are 4 vital leadership traits that I have picked up over the years. These traits have helped me grow my business, build a tribe of amazingly supportive people, and become the type of person that people want to follow into battle.

1. Being The Result/Example

When it comes to leadership traits this is the holy grail. If you want to build loyalty nothing is more admirable than being on the front lines going to battle. It’s so important to be the result of what it is you want people to believe in. In fitness for example. If you want people to believe in your program, you need to show those results in your own life. Or as a business coach, you need to show you’ve built a successful business using the methods you teach.

You can talk all you want, you can think all you want, but it’s the actions you take, and results that you get that will turn people into believers.

2. Being A Good Follower

As counterproductive as it may sound, if you want to be a great leader, you must learn how to follow. Being a leader that’s not afraid to follow is often an ego issue, but if you can get over it you will allow yourself the ability to have a greater understanding of the needs of your people. You also open yourself up to wisdom, and with that will come growth. Being a good follower has taught me many things. If I had never understood this trait I wouldn’t have been able to do the things I’ve done.

So, if you’ve hit a ceiling in your leadership development. Give following a try.

3. Passion

To be the kind of leader people want to naturally follow and to provide people with a service or product that sells itself, you need to be passionate. Passion is critical when it comes to leadership. You need to show absolute conviction for what it is that you do. I can’t tell you how many lives I’ve changed or products I’ve sold simply because the person was attracted to me from seeing how unwaveringly passionate I am about what I do. They didn’t need to be sold. They didn’t have doubts. They saw the results, and how passionate I was, and they knew then and there that they wanted to be a part of it.

Obviously, not everyone will be this way. Not everyone falls in line easily. However, having a massive passion for what you do will propel you to greater things. If you’re doing something that you’re not 100% passionate about, it will show, and it will affect how people follow you. Oftentimes times displaying a fierce passion for what you do will inspire them to display the same thing in their life.

4. Come From Contribution

As a leader, one of the most important things you can do to build a valuable relationship with someone is to add value to their lives. Especially if that value is what you start your relationship on. When I make new friends, instead of telling them about my business or trying to find an angle for how they can help me, I instead try to find a way I can help them. I also try to find a way to do this for free.

So over the years one thing I’ve done is develop products and resources that help people’s lives, that I can give away for free. Such as unique daily planners, motivational videos, etc. It doesn’t always have to be something like that though. Often times the most important thing you can give someone is your time, and ability to listen to them. Good leaders know how to listen.

If you want to be memorable on first contact, give them something for free, even if it’s your time. This will build loyalty and a feeling of obligation. People naturally feel compelled to support, refer business, and be around people who add value to their lives. So add value first, and you will get value back. Helping others is a tremendous way to help yourself.

So these are 4 vital leadership traits you can work on developing. There’s plenty more that we will talk about in the future.