Do you ever feel like the world is falling apart around you?
The news cycle is so full of doom and gloom that it makes you want to wrap yourself in a blanket and wait for everything to blow over. But there’s good news too: despite all the chaos and uncertainty, it turns out we’re actually living in an era of incredible progress.
We’re making breakthroughs in medicine, technology, science…and leadership.
There are some common themes among people at the forefront of transformative change—the ones actively helping leaders make their organizations better places to work.
These nine signs can tell you if you’re ready to step up into a new role as a leader:
You know leadership when you see it
Leaders are hard to spot.
They’re everywhere, from your barista at the coffee shop to the kid who helps you out of the way of traffic on your morning commute.
But leadership isn’t just about titles or positions—it’s about attitude and approach. A leader is someone who inspires others to be better, builds relationships with those around them, and takes responsibility for the success of their team.
Leadership starts with a great attitude—one that focuses on helping others grow as well as themselves. Here are some signs that you have this kind of positive attitude (and what you can do if you don’t):
You have the desire to help others succeed in their goals: If you’re constantly looking out for ways to help people reach their potential—whether it’s through giving advice or spending time together one-on-one.
And then chances are good that this is something important for you! If not, though, remember that leading by example is an effective method too; try identifying two or three key qualities about yourself that inspire other people and put them into action!
Your teammates want more time working directly with you: Another sign that someone might be ready for promotion is when they’re often sought out by colleagues who want advice or information related specifically to their job function
You’re not afraid of change
Change is inevitable. You cannot control change, but you can influence it. The key to being a successful leader is not being afraid to try new things and take risks in order to stay relevant in today’s fast-paced world.
You need to be ready to adapt at any moment, even if it means making difficult decisions or taking on risky projects. If something doesn’t work out the first time around, that’s OK!
Just keep trying until you get it right—but don’t be afraid of failing either (more on this below).
You don’t try to lead from behind the desk
You don’t try to lead from behind the desk.
You’re leading by example, and you’re out there with your team, working alongside them. You are visible, not hidden; accessible and available, not distant; approachable, not aloof. You are friendly and approachable—not intimidating or standoffish.
Your coworkers see you walking down the halls (or even cleaning up after lunch).
They know who you are because they’ve met with you one-on-one or attended a meeting where you were present in person rather than on video chat from your office across town or halfway around the world.
You recognize your own blind spots
You recognize your own blind spots.
You know that no matter how much experience you have, there will always be something you don’t know and areas where you need help or guidance. You’re not afraid to ask for advice, even if it comes from someone who doesn’t have as much experience as you do.
In fact, recognizing the wisdom of others is one way to show that you understand your own weaknesses and limitations—which is an important trait in a leader!
If people around you are more experienced than you in some area (like sales or budgeting), take advantage of their abilities by offering them opportunities to lead projects related to those areas.
This will allow them to grow as leaders while helping build out the team’s overall knowledge base
You listen and learn from others, and trust that they have good ideas
As a leader, it is critical that you listen to what people are saying and make sure that you understand them. When someone is speaking with passion and enthusiasm, it’s easy to assume they know exactly what they want because they are so excited about it.
However, this can lead to some mistakes if you don’t take the time to ask questions in order to clarify what the person actually means.
For example, if someone says “I think we should implement new software into the company,” but then immediately clarifies that he meant “we should hire an outside consulting firm,” it would be easy for a less-than-observant leader to assume that this was an issue of semantics rather than one of substance.
Asking questions in order to clarify things makes sure everyone on your team understands each other clearly before moving forward with any plans or decisions–and will save your organization lots of money by preventing costly miscommunications later on!
Also, remember not to interrupt others while they’re talking – even if you think their ideas aren’t good ones – because letting them finish giving their opinion helps show respect for others’ views as well as understanding where those views came from in the first place.
And perhaps learn something new about yourself.
If someone does interrupt another person without waiting patiently until there’s silence again before continuing to speak yourself then apologize afterward for your mistake
You work hard to build consensus from diverse voices
You know that it’s not about winning or losing, but about building consensus from diverse voices. You focus on the common ground, seek to understand before you are understood, and always aim to be open to changing your mind.
You’re willing to listen to others’ ideas and recognize when compromise is necessary in order for everyone involved in the process—not just you—to reach their goals.
Your vision is clear, but you let others interpret it in their own ways
You have a vision for what you want to achieve, but you don’t tell people how to get there. Instead, you let them interpret the vision in their own ways. You trust that they have good ideas and listen to them.
This is important because it allows people to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves—which is exactly what leadership should be about!
You build relationships before you need them
The second most important lesson I learned is to build relationships before you need them.
A good friend of mine who has been a support and a mentor throughout my career told me, “Relationships are the foundation of leadership.” And now I know why: they’re the foundation of everything else too!
You can’t lead if you don’t have people’s trust and respect, even if you’re not the boss yet.
If people know that they can depend on you or that they have your back, it makes all kinds of things easier—especially when times get tough or there’s trouble brewing in an organization or community.
So how do we build relationships? Here are two things worth keeping in mind:
- Don’t just connect with people who share your same priorities—connect with those who can help achieve them too (and vice versa).
- Find out what makes everyone around you tick—and find ways to make them feel valued for those things (even if those things aren’t directly related to work).
You recognize that people matter, and treat them accordingly
You recognize that people matter, and treat them accordingly.
You don’t play favorites. When everyone knows they can trust you to be honest, open, inclusive, and respectful to all your employees—regardless of their title or seniority—people will want to work with you because they know they will always be treated fairly.
Your ego doesn’t get in the way of treating people with respect. Leaders with strong egos can often come across as condescending or patronizing towards their team members.
If this sounds like something you struggle with (or if someone tells you that it sounds like something you struggle with), consider how easily an entire company could fall apart if your workers lost confidence in your ability as a leader.
Then think about what would happen if your team members lost confidence in themselves.
Leadership is an attitude and a way of doing things, not an official title or role
Leadership is not a title.
It’s not even the job you do. Leadership is a way of doing things—a way of thinking, being, and acting that can be applied in any situation. If you are familiar with the heart and spirit of leadership, you will know when it is appropriate to lead (and when it isn’t).
Often, people who are said to be “leaders” by virtue of their position or title aren’t actually leaders at all!
The key here is attitude: if your attitude towards leadership is strong enough, then true leadership will naturally follow.
Conclusion
Leadership is a mindset and a way of doing things, not an official title or role.
It’s also not something that you can learn from books alone; leadership is learned through practice and experience. You don’t have to be in charge to lead, and leadership skills can be used by anyone at any level of an organization—even if they don’t realize it yet!
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About the author: Ruchi Rathor is the founder & CEO of Payomatix Technologies PVT. Ltd.
Contact Ruchi on Instagram or visit the official website of Ruchi Rathor