4 Steps Anyone Can Take To Become a Leader
Each one of us has the innate ability to lead. It's how we nurture that ability that determines whether or not we make it as successful leaders
By | Brendan P. Keegan | www.entrepreneur.com
Even if you weren’t raised with a garden in your backyard, you’ve likely placed a seed in some dirt for science class at some point. If you took good care of that seed, then after a few days, you watched it push its way free from the soil and become a thriving plant.
Leadership isn’t all that different. Much like a seed, your leader instinct sits inside you, waiting for some nurturing and care. You just have to make the choice of whether to deliver the attention it needs. If your heart is telling you to pick up the watering can and bask in the sun, how can you take the first step?
1. Accept the fact you’re a leader
You’re not alone if you wake up thinking you’re not a leader. According to one study, 50% of female managers and 31% of male managers say they’ve felt self-doubt at some point in their careers. But if you wake up and ask yourself how you can learn to lead instead, you’re letting in the first rays of sunshine your leadership seed needs to grow.
All of us have the ability to ask questions of ourselves and others. Once you embrace this ability, the skill of inquiry can bring you right into the leadership position you’ve craved. In fact, it’s a big part of why I hold my position at my company now. As a member of the board, I kept asking company leaders important questions that jumpstarted great ideas, so they asked me to step up as the CEO.
The inquiry continues to be at the core of leadership, even at the top. As you move up, you’ll inevitably fall into uncharted waters with no playbooks and get handed heavier responsibilities. This is why I constantly ask for information and opinions from other people. I know I don’t have all the experience or answers myself, but I trust that we can pool our resources and knowledge together to find out.
