Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Leadership may be something to which you have always aspired, but have never fully grasped. If you have long wanted to acquire the skills and abilities of a strong leader, perhaps what you need is a bit of education. By reading the article that follows, you will soon have what it takes to inspire others and move your business to the next level.

In order to be an effective leader, you must work closely with your team. Listen to them when they talk, encourage individuality and innovation, and let each member of your team enjoy their individual and group successes. Above all, don't ask a member of your team to do anything that you would not be willing to do yourself.

Learn your employee's names. A great leader takes the time to learn the names of his or her most immediate staff, and even the names of the top performers under them. It shows them that you care enough about them to know them not just as a worker, but as a real person.

Don't make the mistake of ordering people around. That is not true leadership. The key to true leadership is to inspire those around you. You need to help them find their own voices, so that they can go on to lead others. The entire journey they take with you is about their ability to know themselves better.

Tenacity is a key characteristic of a good leader. When things start to go wrong, the team is going to look at you to see how they should be reacting. You should focus on accomplishing the goal whatever obstacles stand in the way. If you stay motivated, so will the rest of your team.

Watch out for project creep. This can happen when your project's scope isn't clearly defined. If you have control over the project, resist the temptation to add more project objectives as time goes on. If you are receiving external pressure to expand your project, resist it with all your might. Your subordinates will thank you.

Hiring various kinds of people can boost your business. Diversity will enable you to have many different perspectives within your company. Try not to hire employees who are all the same as you. You will not get the innovation you need. It may also lead to a company that fails based on your weaknesses.

Learn how to present persuasively. Presentation skills are something every great leader needs to master. You'll be on stage, and the results will be the perception that sticks with the crowd. Not only about you, but also about the company. If you are a strong presenter, you can make a major difference in how people perceive your leadership.

Empower your employees. Leadership isn't just about decision making. It's also about knowing when to give up the power to your trusted colleagues. When you let them make decisions, you are helping to build their loyalty to the company. They'll feel respected, and most importantly, wanted. That's a big thing for the health of your business.

Get to know the truly talented performers underneath you. Great employees are hard to come by, and harder to keep. Learn what their personal ambitions are in life. The more you are able to synergize their dreams with your business' goals, the longer you can retain them and their productivity.




<img src="http://scouteu.s3.amazonaws.com/cards/images_vt/merged/i_want_to_hug_you_1.jpg" />

Have a vision. Planning for the future is free animated holiday cards for business . Things might be great now, but will it still be a year from now? What about http://www.enteract.com.au/eCardServices from now? Try to keep abreast of any change that might be relevant to your business. Shape your plans and your vision accordingly.

Nurture growth in your team members. You can do this by offering help and solutions when they make a mistake instead of punishments. Understand that everyone makes mistakes, and show your workers where they went wrong when they make one. A great team is not hired, it is built through teamwork.

Make sure that you are approachable. Spend time with your employees. Let them come to you with their concerns. If you have a busy schedule, try and find an hour or two when you can handle interruptions. Make sure your employees know that they should feel comfortable approaching you with any concerns or questions during these hours.

When you take risks that don't pay off or try new strategies that don't work, never think of that as a failure. It is not a failure if you learn something from it. Innovation and creativity come from experimentation. Train yourself to realize when innovative ideas are not panning out so you can end them quickly.

If you are a leader, become part of the team. You can bolster your team's morale just by showing that you aren't too good to do what they do. Try doing each job at the workplace periodically, whether it be cashiering, cooking, or answering phones. This will show your team that you appreciate what they do, and want to be a part of the success of the workforce.

Now, you know what you should be doing in order to be a more effective leader. You help others when you work on being a better leader. It is time to take up your position as a leader in the business world. Use what you've just learned to hone your leadership skills.