Before taking this class I thought being a leader meant getting people to listen to you. I thought being a leader meant focusing all on your followers, hoping they would respect and listen to you. After I took this class I learned it took much more to be a leader. I learned what it meant to be a good leader, and what kind of leader I want to be.
There are many styles a leader can be. There are many different ways they can lead and make decisions. For example there are three decision making styles a leader can be which are autocratic leader, democratic leader and a free-rein leader. Although all these styles have their own strengths and weaknesses not a single one is perfect. Throughout this semester I've been trying to figure which certain styles I am. As we started wrapping up our last units I've realized I don't need to have just one defined style. I don't need to be just one type of leader. I can, and will, be all different kinds of leaders because different situations may call for different actions to be taken. Throughout this semester I've come up with my own standards of what kind of leader I want to be:
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader" John Quincy Adams
Begin with the end in mind (goal setter): Tony Robbins explained on Ted talks how to be a goal setter. He told us the first step is to slow down and think of all the things that went well in the past year and why they went well. Then, secondly, think of all the bad things that happened last year and why they ended up as bad as they did. Then, he told us to set our goal. Set goals to make sure positive things happen in the next year. And lastly set up a ritual that would allow you to achieve these goals. You have to see the big picture, have a goal and become motivated to achieve that goal.
Think Win Win: Thinking win win is the mindset that you and I will both win. It's not me, it's not you, it's both of us, With win win you will create a positive environment with you and others. If you're always winning and you're followers are always losing, they will ultimately end up leaving. When you turn situations in win-lose or lose-win you turn everything into a competition. Rather than working against each other, you should work together and have a win-win situation making everyone happy.
Communication: You hear many people say communication is key. Well they're right. Without communication your subordinates will not know what they're trying to achieve and what's the most efficient way to achieve it. In the communication unit I learned many listening skills as well as sending skills. You have to communicate impersonally (with memos and letters) to get the word out quickly as well as communicate interpersonally (face-to-face) in order to be personal and get feedback. I've learned to be aware of who your receivers are and the environment you're in so they fully understand you. With having multiple communication skills it will allow your ideas to be heard and spread. It will allow your goals to be heard by all your followers so they know exactly what and who they're working for. It will also make things more efficient because good communication skills will allow you to tell them exactly how to do things to make your goal be achievable.
Be Confident: I believe this is the second most important trait in a leader. Brene Brown mentioned that we try to perfect everything, we try to pretend nothing's our fault and we pretend our actions don't have consequences. We need to let ourselves be seen, the bad, the good, and no pretending to be something you're not. She told us that we need to believe we're enough. Also in the 7 habits we learned about our personal bank accounts. We learned we must fix ourselves first. You cannot run a business if you don't have a connection with your followers, and to do that is to give them something to believe in. I believe you should give them a strong, respectable, confident, worthy leader to believe in and then you're business will do just fine. And even if you're not so confident in something, just fake it until you make it.
Be Proactive: This is the most important trait in a leader. You must be proactive. You will not earn anything by sitting around hoping a miracle will happen. As said in 7 Habits, proactive people are the drivers of their lives, not the passengers. Although there are many things you cannot control, you can control how you react to the situation. Being proactive will allow you to get things done and continue towards your goal. A leader is not a leader if they're reactive, they become a follower. A leader is and will always be proactive because if they truly want something they will go and get it.
"If you think you can, or can't do a thing, you're right." Henry Ford
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