Every day is a struggle, and to shine personally and professionally, you need to spend time building your personality, step by step. Deep inside, everyone has unique traits and qualities that would make them stand out, and i. It is about discovering that exceptional quality that would let you excel, outperform and eventually make people look up to you. Being a leader isn’t about hierarchy or even being the face of something; it is more about how you feel inside and how people perceive you as an individual. Everything else comes later, be it the name, fame, or even the aura. So here are 50 simple things you can do to be an authentic leader.
1. Make Mistakes: As crazy as it sounds, leaders aren’t born; as they say, they are made. And you can only learn when you make mistakes. This is the first step towards being a leader, to know that it is okay if you’ve made a mistake.
2. Don’t Make The Same Mistake Twice: Just as important as making mistakes, you shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. If something you know hasn’t worked out, try it differently and keep learning.
3. It Is Okay To Ask: It is okay to ask if you aren’t getting something right. Please share your thoughts and try to learn from people who do it better.
4. Share Your Fears: There is nothing wrong with sharing your fears with friends, family, or colleagues. It will make them understand you better and allow everyone to sit together and find solutions.
5. Be Honest: You’ve to be honest in everything, with everybody, including yourself. Don’t cheat yourself or others intentionally or unintentionally because, in the long run, you will be ruining your chances of being a natural leader.
6. Work On Yourself, Everyday: You’ve got to work on yourself – the way you are, how you work, and even how you interact with people at home or office. It is a never-ending process, but it does it every day, be aware of the rights and the not-so-rights you’ve done the previous day and try to correct them.
7. Be On Time: This is one trait common amongst all men and women who’ve made it big in life. You have to be on time, every time.
8. Be Fearless: It could be in dealing with trouble at work or standing up for what is right; you have to learn to be fearless, and it doesn’t happen immediately. It will take years before you think of yourself as courageous, but like everything else, start today.
9. Respect Everyone: No small and significant people exist in this world. Everyone is the same, and everyone deserves the same amount of respect. Treat younger people with just as much care as you would treat older or more experienced ones in life.
10. Keep a Tab On Expenses: A leader does not go unprepared; it could be a meeting or a holiday or just going out for work, but keeping a tab on your daily spending will always let you be in control over your money. Never requiring personal support, financially or otherwise, is a virtue every leader inculcates.
11. Know Yourself: Ask yourself this question daily, and find new answers to rediscover yourself. It helps to know what you are, deep inside.
12. Hear People Out: Listen to people like a pro, they could be bashing you, praising you, or just sharing their feelings, but it is always important to listen and to let others think of you as a great listener.
13. Whisper: Whisper; you don’t need to shout to let people hear you. Talk sense, and over time, they will start listening to you; you don’t need to be aggressive in your expressions; you need to be bold in your thoughts.
14. Find A Purpose: Know exactly why you are doing something or doing it in a certain way. Find a purpose in everything you do, don’t waste time on something that’s not helping you grow as an individual.
15. Love Yourself: It isn’t like being self-centered, but understand yourself and make people like you for what you are. It only happens if you completely understand and love who you are, and then you will be able to respect people as they are, igniting a cycle that will come back to you in a million pleasant ways.
16. Don’t Flinch: If you have a great idea or a view you think people should hear about, do it. Don’t think about the consequences if you believe your actions are the right thing.
17. Remember To Notice and Wish: You don’t have to remember their names, but nod when you make eye contact and say ‘hello’ when you walk by. It could be the doorman, the driver or a colleague, or somebody from the apartment; make people smile or at least acknowledge every time they see you.
18. Be A Sport: Take things sportively, don’t make a fuss when there is no need to. People like people who don’t take silly stuff to heart, and you can be that person who’s always a sport.
19. Multi-Task: Learn to juggle between things, projects, and professional and personal life. It would help if you didn’t mix up something; it is also essential to multi-task.
20. Learn New Things: It is essential to hone your skills as much as it is necessary to learn new stuff. Always keep learning, even if it is something as simple as how to cook a new recipe.
21. Be Dynamic: Don’t give your mind the scope to decide on your abilities and create mental boundaries. Always be dynamic, and never stagnate – mentally, physically, or psychologically.
22. Think Like A Winner: Fight daily battles like a winner, tackle problems thinking you’re already going to solve. It helps to be positive, and imagining yourself as a winner will make even uphill tasks easy to pass.
23. Don’t Be Over-Confident: It isn’t contradictory to thinking like a winner; thought is different from considering yourself a winner already. That’s all the difference there is between confidence and over-confidence.
24. Make Friends: Make friends everywhere; these are the ones who will support you in times of need. But as they say, help without expectations, and friends will follow.
25. Never Consider Anyone Your Enemy: As much as it is essential to make friends, it is also important to not have enemies or people who hate you. Haters will hate, but don’t consider them as your enemies and never give fodder to that line of thought.
26. Give People Credit: Give people their due credit. It could be your wife or your colleague, or anybody. Don’t take credit for something that technically could be yours but morally isn’t.
27. Give Them A Chance: Give people a chance, and everyone eventually learns. So be as patient as you can, and they’ll be grateful forever (hopefully), but that shouldn’t matter; give a person a chance to correct their mistakes.
28. Empathize: Have empathy towards everything in life. This makes you a more mature person, and slowly even the coldest hearts will have a soft spot for you because you’ve shown them what it is to empathize.
29. Be Stern: You can give them a chance or two but don’t let people take you for granted. Be stern in your actions and stick to your ground, whether it’s a promise or a deadline you’ve set.
30. Plan Everything: Plan everything, your day, your career, and how you want life to be. Things rarely go the way we want, but it is essential to have a plan and stick as closely to it as possible.
31. Know Your Responsibilities: Knowing what people expect you to do and matching them with your responsibilities is necessary. Don’t take undue pressure but get cracking when you see what’s really your job!
32. Know Your Rights: As much as it is necessary to know your responsibilities, it is critical to know your rights – as an employee at work, as a citizen in the country, or as a wife or a husband in the family. Know what you rightfully deserve, and don’t let anyone take them away from you.
33. Don’t Judge: Don’t judge anything or anyone too soon. Don’t judge at all. Take things and people and their quirky traits as they are. To be a good person in everyone’s mind by trying to be one, and they will start looking up to you.
34. Be Your Biggest Critic: Don’t wait for someone to point it out; if you’ve made a misstep, realize it, make a mental note, and correct it ASAP.
35. Maintain Dignity: You will not be respected if you are not dignified in your expressions and silence. So always maintain dignity whatever the situation is.
36. Don’t Get Personal: Don’t get personal in your critique or when you are criticized. Keep a distance and realize the importance of not doing anything subconsciously.
37. Take It Slow: Don’t rush into anything, be it in a discussion,, argument, decision,, or reaction; take it slow. Think of the consequences before you act.
38. Sleep Well: It is essential that your mind and your body get enough rest. This will make you think better and act quicker, so sleep well.
39. Take A Break: All work and no play makes you go crazy. Take a break, or even better,, have a regular holiday schedule. See new places, chill, travel, and have a good time. You need to be happy about your life if you want to make it big.
40. Avoid Conflicts: It isn’t like showdowns or differences of opinions never happen; they will,, and they can get ugly at times too. See to it that there isn’t much collateral damage and try to avoid conflicts as much as possible.
41. Be A Little Crazy: It sometimes sometimes helps to let go of inhibitions. Relax, chill out and be crazy – some things aren’t logical but could be the best experiences. Go after that big deal you’ve wanted to have a shot at, take your girlfriend or boyfriend on an exotic holiday, spend time with your kids, or do something that makes you feel like a child with wings.
42. Happy To Help: It doesn’t come naturally to all, but adopt the habit of helping. It makes you happy,, and it is always the right thing to do. Always be glad to help.
43. Believe In A Social Cause: Belief in a social cause close to your heart, support it and work towards making the world a better place. You don’t have to do it all but start with that one thing that always bothered you and that you wanted to work on, like teaching underprivileged kids or even helping the retired couple down the street with their groceries every weekend.
44. Solve Problems: This isn’t a shot in the air; this is something particular. There are many issues all around; try to solve one at a time or at least try and build a team or a group that can solve it. It could be something as simple as adopting street dogs in your neighborhood. But at the end of the day, you should be solving something and making your day better.
45. Apologize When You Need To: This is probably the hardest, but this is a quality that actually would redefine your personality. Be it your partner or your postman, say ‘sorry’ if you’ve messed up or hurt them somehow. It is probably the surest way to gain respect in the long run, so start today.
46. Give Up A Bad Habit: It isn’t just about smoking or something external; it could even be something internal, like losing your temper quickly. Give up a bad habit,, and that will drive you to better yourself by giving up another. And along the way, you will impress and inspire people around you.
47. Stay Fit: This is not about looking lean or having a six-pack; it is more about being fit, having a healthy body,, and an active mind. And being fit would mean that you are disciplined, as you have to make time for yourself and hence, another reason for people to be inspired.
48. Read Everyday: You don’t need to be a bookworm but set aside time to read every day. Reading is the only way to learn new things, gain knowledge and develop a perspective. It could be the newspapers, magazines,, or anything else. It could be an article like this too, keep reading, every day.
49. Thank People: Thank people for all that they’ve done for you. It is a small courtesy that doesn’t cost a thing but is probably the most excellent way into people’s memory. Remember to thank!
50. Keep Moving: Keep moving, never stay in one place, and never stagnate mentally. It could be at a job, at a home, in a city,, or a bad relationship; always keep moving if you feel there is scope to improve. Get out of your comfort zone,, and you will be a better person.
