7 Essential Steps to Develop the Art of Leadership

The ability to be a leader is an art, which can be mastered and can be learned and sharpened. Leadership has nothing to do with a title like CEO, Vice President, Manager, General Manager, etc.

As Peter F. Drucker said, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

Here are some of the techniques which can perfect your skills for leadership and can help you grow as a leader personally.

1. Lead Yourself

Israelmore Ayivor said it best:

“A self-leader looks around for problems, and then thinks deep to devise solutions to them.”

Have you ever given a thought of leading ‘Yourself’?

In fact, it is said that the most important and most difficult person to lead is ‘Yourself.’ If you can’t lead yourself, how you can lead a group of people?

Leading yourself requires the most courage, the most discipline, and the highest level of determination and commitment.

Leading yourself is, in fact, the greatest reward, which you offer to yourself. You need to set an example in front of all. Lead by an example and be a motivating factor.

2. Develop Your Vision

Have a clear vision. It does not matter how strong your leadership skills are, but without a perfect and solid vision, you are not going to lead your team anywhere.

Developing a vision helps you in predicting and forth seeing yourself and others years from now.

With the strong purpose of serving people and developing a better plan to take people along with you for a better future, you need to develop your strong vision.

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” – John Maxwell

3. Be Clear In Your Thoughts

Having a clear and fixed thought within you helps you in having a strong leadership quality. Better thoughts, which you truly believe in and are confident of, help you in leading the entire team with higher confidence.

Have a clear thought and move forward with your team with the same thought and vision.

Present your thoughts in front of people and help them in understanding you in a much better way.

“Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

4. Develop Better Communication Skills

A leader should be crystal clear about what he/she wants. As a leader, you must have good communication skills and should be able to present your thoughts in a simple and clear manner.

Take deep consideration of your verbal and written skills and try to improve consistently. Communication is the driving factor behind huge motivational and inspirational aspect of the entire group.

Try to avoid using complex words and remain very simple. You must keep in mind that your listeners must understand what you are trying to express.

John C. Maxwell put it best, “Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”

5. Develop a Sense of Responsibility and Commitment

Responsibility and commitment are crucial aspects of the leadership. Commitment and responsibility can be judged by the hours you spend with your people, the way you spend your money and physical labor, what you do for them, and how far you are dedicated to your people.

You must be always ready to take a bullet for your people. Develop a sense of responsibility towards your people by spending time with them in constructive work and towards the upliftment of society.

Check out on how much time you offer to the community. Self-analyze your commitment quotient and have a sense of responsibility towards those who believe in you.

“A leader…is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” – Nelson Mandela

6. Help Others

Helping people in need is one quality which can make you a leader fortnight. It is said, ‘Help those who are in need,’ and this will make them remember you forever.

Helping others presents a positive side of you and helps imbibe a sense of confidence.

“I don’t see myself being special; I just see myself having more responsibilities than the next man. People look to me to do things for them, to have answers.” – Tupac Shakur

7. Develop Courage by Facing Obstacles and Fear

Having a courageous attitude helps you feel distinct from the herd. By showing courage, you can inspire many others to follow in the same footsteps. Inspiring others is a great trait of a leader and it must be done with great motivation.

You can spend around 25-30 minutes each day to develop your courage by adopting different things you are scared of. Learn new skills, speak in front of an audience, do some outdoor task, visit people whom you always wanted to.

“There is a difference between being a leader and being a boss. Both are based on authority. A boss demands blind obedience; a leader earns his authority through understanding and trust.” – Klaus Balkenhol

You need to develop your skills and have self-belief in order to be a supreme leader. Some people are born leaders, but polishing your skills will take your leadership to the next level.

Accept responsibility and make self-discipline part of your daily life. Be frank and confident in your thoughts and look to motivate and help people along the way.