5 THINGS SUCCESSFUL LEADERS DO
Are successful leaders made of something special?
Successful leaders take charge, can navigate difficult situations with relative ease, and seem to connect with others in a way that most people cannot. They are disciplined, outgoing, communicative, and can manage time like nobody's business.
But what underlies their success as leaders? Are there "special ingredients" that make them successful?
We've gathered the five most helpful leadership traits. These traits are attained by those who become leaders - they have worked at each one of these things to become more effective leaders.
Successful leaders are always in pursuit
One of the most overlooked aspects of leadership is the constant need for pursuit: the pursuit of excellence, elegance, honesty, and truth, the pursuit of more in-depth knowledge and better results.
Great leaders are never satisfied with traditional practices, static thinking, conventional wisdom, or mediocre performance.
It is not enough to pursue something randomly, or multiple unrelated things simultaneously; instead, they intentionally and consistently pursue the things that will help them work towards their goals.
Do not confuse pursuit with goal setting, which is the act of planning out what you want to achieve. Pursuit is what happens after those goals have been identified (we cover "SMART" goals in this post). After ensuring that their goals meet the right criteria, in the pursuit stage, the pursuer must be:
Oftentimes, one person's pursuit will enlist others. Pursuit in its highest form is collaborative, inclusive, and easily transferrable.
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Successful leaders practice decisive thinking
Indecisive thinking can stem from fear (of the unknown, the under-planned, or a known thing that is overwhelming), from a lack of confidence, or one’s inability to directly relate how their decision will contribute to their pursuit of a specific goal.
All of these things can lead to procrastination or the complete abandonment of an idea without finding another one to take its place; the person gets stuck in a rut.
Procrastination can be a form of indecisive thinking.
Successful leaders don’t procrastinate; instead, they tackle an issue head-on. They know how to get to the heart of the matter. Their constant action makes them more proficient problem-solvers over time. They don’t avoid uncomfortable situations, but instead regard them as learning opportunities, and become better thinkers, innovators, and leaders as a result.
They constantly educate themselves
Have you ever run into an old high school classmate? If haven't yet and get a chance to, you might find it interesting to see that some of the most popular, “smart” kids were not necessarily the most successful in their vocation.
When students graduate high school, everyone tends to have an idea of what their closest friends and distantly acquainted classmates will go on to do with their lives and successful they will be. Of course, top students are dedicated to learning and disciplined enough to maintain good grades throughout their high school year. If they cease to continue educating themselves, learning new things and expanding their knowledge, they will have a harder time growing into the successful leader that everyone at school thought they would become.
Successful leaders may not have been the smartest kids in the class by the standards of standard education. One is not destined to become a great leader simply because they had good grades or worked hard (because it’s easy to work hard in no particular direction at all). Instead, those who commit themselves to never-ending personal growth and development will become the great leaders of tomorrow.
They have a clear purpose
Most people live their lives by focusing on what they have to do tomorrow, or next week, or by the end of the month. Their lives are strung together by endless tasks that never seem to get them anywhere.
For the most part, successful leaders know exactly what they have to do because they know why they are doing it in the first place. Instead of completing trivial tasks, they make sure that everything they do is related to their goals and the pursuit of what comes after those goals are achieved.
As a result, they are confident: in what they are doing, in the purpose behind it all, and in themselves and their abilities.
They ask good questions
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, once said, “We run this company on questions, not answers.”
Children learn by asking questions. Students learn by asking questions. New recruits learn by asking questions. Innovators understand client needs by asking questions. It is the simplest and most effective way of learning. Those who think that they know it all no longer ask questions, but brilliant leaders never stop asking questions because they know that there is always something more to learn.
People are often afraid that by asking questions they will look weak, ignorant, or unsure. They like to give the impression that they are decisive and in command of the issue at hand. They fear that asking questions might show them in a poor light. In fact, asking questions is a sign of strength and intelligence, not a sign of weakness or uncertainty.
Great leaders are well aware that they do not have all of the answers.
How many of these traits do you currently embody? What are your plans to improve each of these aspects and become an effective leader?
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