As a leader, it’s important to inspire empowerment in others. After all, when people feel powerful, it boosts their self-confidence, which further enhances their work and performance. Inspiring others is often the mark of a great leader, but how do you do that effectively?
No matter what techniques you use to encourage others, one of the best and most simple things you can do as a leader is to empower yourself. When you show that you are confident and are willing to hold yourself accountable for your own greatness, others will feel inspired to do the same.
Self-Confidence
Being self-confident is about being comfortable with yourself, and knowing that you have the strength to handle any challenges you’ll face. This kind of self-worth, acquired through personal independence and self-reliance, is infectious. When others see what you can accomplish, they’ll feel inclined to follow your lead so they can also build a similar self-confidence.
Take Advantage of Your Strengths
Everyone excels at certain things and has difficulty with others. Don’t be afraid to spend time on your strengths and further build your own personal skills. A well-rounded team will comprise a variety of individuals with their own fortes. As you and your team play to your strengths, you build each other up and cover for each other’s shortcomings.
Keep Learning
Picking up new information is about knowledge, and knowledge – as they say – is power. This power can help you recognize situations and handle them better. Learning doesn’t have to stop when you finish school or complete job training. Pursuing new knowledge is a lifelong process that can help you become a better leader.
Focus on Optimism, Leave Pessimism Behind
Part of success is in how we view ourselves, and having a positive mindset makes it easier to focus on what you can accomplish and improve. In contrast, saying that you can’t accomplish something is only going to make you less inclined to try, let alone succeed. A great approach is to keep track of your strengths and weaknesses. Use your strengths to keep your confidence high and see your weaknesses as an opportunity to improve yourself.
Empowering yourself not only makes you feel fit to be a leader, but your confidence and enthusiasm will be contagious to those around you. One of the most empowering things you can do is to spread those attributes to your team.
It’s important to continue your own development as a leader. There are countless ways to continue to improve upon your own leadership skills including blogs, podcasts, books, workshops and conferences and of course professional leadership development training. If you or a member of your team is interested in learning more about MindSpring’s leadership training programs please let us know. We work with individuals with one-on-one coaching and also with groups of all sizes.
