“Can anyone really be a leader?” is a question I get asked often.
Every time someone asks me this, I confidently say “Yes!”
A Leader can be anyone. For me, leadership is all about setting the direction, being the example, leading the way, helping and supporting others, and every single one of us can do these things if we choose to do so.
Leadership is not just a formal position, it’s about what we do, it’s about the actions we take.
It’s also true that not all of us will attract followers, but that is because the direction we take might not be of interest to others, but if we take the right direction then others will follow.
There are many leadership opportunities that present themselves each and every day, but more often than not we choose not to take them.
These opportunities might be as simple as requesting more cashiers in the supermarket when the queues are getting way too long, you’re seeing a problem and you are speaking up requesting action – many people will choose not to say anything, but by speaking up you’re making the choice, you are choosing to lead. People will respect you for that, especially if it’s done in the right way.
When we choose not to speak up, not to lead, that might be due to a lack of confidence, or we feel that someone else is better suited to lead in this situation. Which is ok.
However, the more we choose to step up, choose to lead, the more a leader we will become.
If you want to become a leader then you should look to take as many of these small leadership opportunities as possible, look to take voluntary leadership positions, either in your communities, sports teams or whatever area you can.
The more leadership experience you get, the more comfortable you will feel as a leader, the easier you will find it, and the easier it will be to step up into larger leadership positions.
We can all be leaders, but we need to make the choice to be a leader and then seek out opportunities to lead.
If you want to learn more about creating highly engaged teams or being a better leader click the link to view our course.
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