How to become a leader in a team. Practical actions

A leader is a person whose opinion people listen to, not out of fear of being fired, power or authority, but out of trust and respect. Next to such a person, people feel safe, mutually understood and have firm confidence in their future. The leader inspires, clearly defines the main direction of further development and cares about everyone from his environment. This, of course, is the lot of strong people who perform equally strong actions.

We hope that our article will reveal your leadership potential, or strengthen your existing skills. We are for development and moving forward, so we want you to always have motivation, strength and desire for better. Let's look at the main qualities of leadership in English. Here we go!

Leadership is a learned behavior that becomes subconscious over time. Of course, this must first be achieved. Leaders can make several important decisions about a problem while others are just getting the hang of it. Many people wonder how, often under great pressure, people manage to make the best decisions.

Well, they're just leaders!

Decision-making skills are developed through experience, exposure to many different situations, personality types, and contingencies. Moreover, the process of making difficult decisions is the ultimate understanding that you are already familiar with the cause and consequences of certain patterns. Possession of the necessary information and a sense of the relationship between the phenomena occurring in these patterns allows the leader to confidently make decisions and predict the likelihood of the desired results.

FYI, the most successful leaders are instinctive decision makers. By doing certain things enough times throughout their careers, they become immune to decision-making pressures and extremely intuitive in making the strategically best decisions. That's why most senior executives will probably tell you that they rely heavily on their gut feeling to make difficult decisions at any given moment.

So, if you aspire to leadership, but somehow things don’t work out, or if you have the honor of being a leader, then you simply have to become great!

Leadership is an ambition that can take many forms: you can lead by influencing the people around you or create change globally.

No matter the situation, there are certain skills that will help you become the leader you want and can be. Check it out!

Who is a leader

To become a leader, you need to be clear about who you are. In psychology, this is the name given to a person who in a certain group (class, group, organization, division, team) enjoys general recognition, has unlimited authority and exerts influence in the form of control actions. By and large, this is the leader. Voices goals and objectives, makes responsible decisions, resolves problematic situations, convinces everyone to go in the same direction, acts as a conductor between superiors (teacher, dean, director of the enterprise) and subordinates (pupils, students, employees).

According to psychologists, people are not born, but become leaders under the influence of various factors. What matters here is upbringing, the process of self-development, random circumstances, and examples of other people. The main thing is that organizational skills can be developed at almost any age. True, this will require time and effort, but constant and hard work on yourself will definitely bring results.

Second part. 2 tasks that develop leadership skills

So, we are starting the second part of the article, where I will talk about 2 tasks that you can start immediately after reading.

Writing a book

Now get out of your head the idea that this is difficult to achieve and takes a lot of time.

First of all, you don’t have to write a bestseller, novel or story. Write a regular collection of stories, or design your blog as a book.

Secondly, authorship itself will give strength and confidence. The author of a book is always a leader.

Thirdly, writing a book is not that difficult. To make your work easier, below I offer a diagram that you can use when writing.

Book writing outline:

1. Decide on a topic. Choose the genre you are familiar with. Make sure it has market demand.
2. Make a forecast for the future. Analyze whether the book will be popular in a few years?
3. Identify 5 subtopics that will reveal the essence of the content. These subtopics should be related to each other, as well as logical and consistent.
4. Divide each subtopic into 5 more parts. It won't be difficult if you understand the topic well enough.
5. As a result, you will have 25 micro-topics that reveal the content of the book. Now write 5 pages for each micro-topic. In the end you will have your own 100 page book. Agree, it’s already good.
6. Promote your book. To do this, you need to look for other sources of information. Since this topic needs a separate article.

Read also:

28 best books for self-development in recent times

Play strategy games

Strategic games develop general logical thinking and teach people to take responsibility for their subordinates. Therefore, it is the strategies that will be useful for future leaders.

Choose games as you wish. I advise you to pay attention to those where you become the leader of a state or team. It's better to choose what you deal with in life.

While playing, think of it not as a stupid pastime, but as self-development. Stay focused and turn on your emotions. Thus, computer games that would seem to lead only to degradation will become useful.

Qualities

Sometimes it happens that a teacher chooses a diligent excellent student for the position of class leader. Yes, she can be responsible and diligent, but at the same time have absolutely no influence on her classmates. As a result, she fails to cope with the responsibilities assigned to her.

The same thing happens in companies. The post of chief is occupied by a diligent and efficient person with the appropriate education. But he cannot establish relationships with his subordinates: his character is soft, his voice is quiet, his eyes shift, he does not express himself in any way, he just follows everyone around and begs them to submit reports on time. The result is that his department has the lowest productivity scores.

These examples show that responsibility, diligence, diligence and diligence are not enough to become a leader.

Therefore, the first step on this path is to find out what abilities a manager needs to become a leader. Make a list of qualities that you need to work on developing. The most basic:

• perseverance, iron willpower and strength of character;
• dedication to the chosen path;
• charisma;
• positive attitude;
• the ability to support others in difficult situations;
• excellent communication skills, the ability to establish contact with almost any person;
• high intellectual abilities, broad outlook;
• well-delivered speech, allowing you to persuade and win arguments;
• activity, initiative, constant generation of ideas;
• responsibility and discipline.

This is just a basic set of leadership qualities that need to be developed first. So that you don’t relax, it’s worth mentioning right away that once you set out on this path, you’ll have to work on self-development all your life. A real leader, a leader, a leader, after mastering the above skills, will discover that in addition it would not hurt to learn to calculate risks in advance, critically evaluate every situation, admit one’s mistakes, be generous, trust people, and much, much more. So there is no time to stop.

Barriers

You need to understand that becoming a leader is not at all as easy as it might seem at first glance. Many will fail along this path. Often - only because they are not prepared for the pitfalls. You need to know your enemies by sight - psychologists name 5 main barriers that occur in the life of every person and prevent some of them from taking an authoritative position as a leader.

Lack or clarity of goals

If your life doesn't have meaning, people will never follow you. This gives a feeling of an inner core, which others also intuitively feel and begin to respect a person who knows exactly what he is striving for. But remember: becoming a leader is not a goal at all, but only one of the tasks on the way to achieving your main dream.

Impatience

Excessive impulsiveness, the desire to have everything at once, eccentricity - believe me, these are not leadership qualities at all. Cultivate patience and regularity. Sometimes you need to take small steps, but - every day, in order to reach the final goal, and not jump by leaps and bounds - there is a high risk of running out of steam at the very beginning of the distance or falling into the abyss.

Comfort zone

In the process of working on yourself, you will have to leave your usual comfort zone, take risks, communicate with unpleasant people, meet new things, and not be afraid to be a pioneer.

Internal complexes

One day, on your path to success, you may meet a person who will hit you where it hurts most. It could be anything: a flaw in appearance (because of which you have been complex since childhood), mistakes of the past (who among us has not made them), psychological trauma. Be prepared to fight back, otherwise you will be knocked off your pedestal immediately.

Envy

Do you think everyone will be delighted with your leadership habits? Authority, career, prestigious post - everything you want to achieve can cause hostility and envy of others. And often - family and friends.

People who are psychologically prepared for such barriers on their path will be able to overcome them. Perhaps not the first time. They stumbled, stood up, and began to overcome the barrier again.

Stages of development

Barriers are not all the obstacles you will encounter on your way. Do you want to be an effective leader who never knows defeat? In this case, you will have to go through 5 stages of formation. If you get stuck and stop at one thing without reaching the end, consider that the goal has not been achieved.

Zero level

For myself. Learn to trust yourself, take responsibility for what happens in your life, manage your own emotions.

I level

Micro level. Become a presenter in a group of 3-5 friends. They must recognize your opinions and trust you to have the final say in decisions. Learn to restore order in such a micro-team.

Level II

Situational leader. Learn to take responsibility in problematic situations. For example, when the boss is not there, but you need to receive high-ranking guests. Take a risk and organize their reception yourself at the proper level.

Level III

Golden mean. Gain respect in a team of at least 10 people. Become an authority so they will listen to you. At this stage, you need to become an opinion leader - generate ideas and convince others of their common benefit. They will follow you - the goal has been achieved.

IV level

Macro level, in the team. Set a goal to take a leadership position in an organization with several departments.

So, you know what leadership qualities to develop. We are psychologically prepared to overcome barriers along the way. The stages on the path of self-development have been outlined. Now is the time to move from theory to practice.

The formula for a successful environment that will allow you to grow

Three steps up.

• First. 1/3 of people who will be lower than you in status and knowledge, but who will follow you. You will become a mentor for them and share your knowledge.

• The second 1/3 of people are equal to you. With them you will discuss your projects and make plans.

• The third 1/3 of people are those who will become role models for you. These are the people who have already achieved what you strive for. They will be your mentors. Take knowledge from them, absorb it like a sponge, put it into practice and share it with others.

Only such an environment will help you move forward. Draw conclusions from what you read and start taking action.

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Advice from psychologists

To become a good leader, follow the recommendations of psychologists who specialize in this particular issue:

1. Set specific goals for yourself and break them down into small tasks. Methodically achieve what you want.
2. Be proactive, that is, subordinate every reaction to what is happening to your will. Work on your self-control. No one and nothing should piss you off.
3. Don't be afraid to take responsibility and make big decisions.
4. Take criticism appropriately.
5. Don't be afraid of anything new. Take risks. Be flexible, learn to adapt to situations.
6. Think and care about others. Volunteer. Do charity work. Become a philanthropist.
7. Develop your IQ. Expand your horizons. Improve yourself in the profession where you want to take a leadership position. Practice rhetoric.
8. Cultivate self-discipline. Learn to first organize your life, work routine, lifestyle, before commanding others.
9. A pessimist will never become a true leader. Believe in the best, always be in a good mood, radiate positivity.
10. Develop physically, take care of your appearance in order to look presentable and command respect just by your appearance.

Choice of profession

In dreams of leadership, many miss the moment of career guidance. But who you work for can play against you in your desire. Librarian, accountant (even the chief), archivist, forester, clerk, repairman, hairdresser... Without a doubt, these are professions worthy of respect. And yes, you can always grow your career and become a director of a library or archive. But, as psychologists say, all these specialties are too calm, with a minimal level of stress. Therefore, they are not the most suitable field for cultivating leadership qualities.

Here is a list of professions ideal for self-development and leader education:

• advocate;
• judge;
• manager;
• director;
• teacher;
• administrator;
• creative director;
• clergyman;
• insurance agent;
• psychologist;
• military;
• trainer.

All these professions provide a fairly high level of stress, which in moderate doses spurs and gives impetus to self-development. They imply career growth and, accordingly, are fertile ground for leadership.

Exercises

To develop leadership skills, psychologists advise performing a set of special exercises daily. Half an hour a day - and within a month you will feel more confident and ready to lead others.

Below is a set of exercises for developing leadership qualities, developed by psychologists Jose Stevens and Mike Woodcock.

• Inner critic

Talk to your inner critic, counter him. Does he sarcastically notice that this suit doesn’t suit you? Answer that a tie is the height of chic.

• Small triumph

At the end of each day, record all your progress in writing. Rejoice in them. Praise yourself. Write certificates to yourself and give incentive prizes.

• Constructive criticism

Listen to outside criticism. They made a comment to you - write it down. Think about how objective it is and how you can get rid of what you were accused of.

• Elimination of defects

Make a list of 5-10 close people whose love you are sure of. Let them write down your shortcomings sincerely. Gradually start eliminating them.

• “And the king is naked!”

An unusual exercise that will shock many, but it is incredibly effective. Learn to look at yourself in the mirror without clothes without any complexes or embarrassment.

• He who doesn't take risks doesn't drink champagne

Take small risks every day. Ask for a salary increase, confess your love, jump with a parachute. Confront your fears and insecurities.

• Truth is born in dispute

Start arguments (not conflicts) with smart people and learn to defend your point of view without using raised voices and insults.

• "I am responsible for…"

Make a list of 10 points: “I am responsible for...”. And be responsible for what you write about.

• Problem solving

Choose one of the problematic situations in your life. Make a responsible decision and analyze the result.

• Demeanor

Develop the behavior of a leader. Straight posture, always raised head, open gaze, straightened shoulders, chest exposed to the enemy, confident voice - these are your weapons.

The main thing is to exercise responsibly and regularly. Remember: a leader cannot afford to slack off, because for others he is a role model.

What makes a leader stand out from the crowd?

Remember that being always ahead of everyone is not only an honor, but also a responsibility. It is the leader who is responsible for the entire group of people in case of failure. Therefore, if you decide to learn leadership skills, you need to be ready not only to lead, but also to bear responsibility.

In order to improve your current situation, you need to develop the necessary skills. Be purposeful - learn to set a goal and achieve it in any case. Develop a skill such as enthusiasm. One of the main leadership qualities is to energize other people and motivate them to action by example.

Remember that self-confidence and a neat appearance are another important characteristic of a leader. A person who is in poor physical shape and constantly complains about life is not able to lead others. Start developing the ability to adapt to extreme situations and quickly find a way out of them. This leadership quality will allow you to earn the respect of others.

Special cases

In principle, the basic psychological recommendations given above are sufficient. However, some want to achieve a leadership position at work, others want to become the leader in personal relationships, in a couple. Therefore, a few more tips are for such special cases.

At work

If you want to become a leader at work and be liked by everyone:

1. Perform your job duties responsibly.
2. Watch your appearance.
3. Support your colleagues in difficult times, help out, help (but don’t do their work for them).
4. Show yourself as an initiative person who is not afraid of serious and responsible tasks.
5. Start small: take charge of organizing a corporate event, collecting money, leading a trade union.
6. Never gossip about anyone.

It is much more difficult to take leadership positions in a new team. Such a desire may be regarded as bragging and excessive arrogance. Therefore, it is better to wait at least a little time to join the general flow. Show yourself as a confident, professionally competent person, follow the dress code, and establish good relationships with everyone. Believe me, if you have truly leadership qualities, they will definitely be noticed.

Leadership = initiative + responsibility

Who are usually called leaders? Or representatives who are followed by other people. This is, for example, a leader in a tribe, a leader in a gang, even a businessman in an enterprise. Or leadership is shown by those who are the best among the rest. Leaders occupy first places, are role models, they are promoted and famous.

Anyone can become a leader. To do this, you need to have two qualities that equally balance each other. This is initiative and responsibility.

• If a person has no responsibility or it manifests itself to a small extent, then the individual begins to do whatever he wants. He cannot be a leader because he is a tyrant. He does a lot, but does not think about the negative consequences of his actions.
• If a person does not have initiative or it manifests itself very rarely, then he cannot express himself. He may have good ideas, innovative methods of promoting a cause. But he doesn’t say anything about them, doesn’t try to demonstrate them, doesn’t promote them. In this case, he also cannot become a leader.

A leader can be someone who has initiative and responsibility in equal measure.

Initiative is when you have some ideas, and you are not afraid to express them and turn them into reality. You express desires, act, promote your ideas. You try and make mistakes. Then you try again to get the desired result, but in different ways. Such people are also called active or purposeful. And they simply take the initiative, turning ideas into reality.

What is responsibility? This concept can be briefly defined as follows: responsibility is taking ownership of the consequences. A person is responsible for absolutely all - positive and negative - results. A non-leader is one who blames others for failures and only himself for success. The leader is responsible for both failures and successes.