Leadership is defined as “the action of leading a group of people or an organization.” When it comes to leadership, not everyone makes the decision to take on that role. Leaders are viewed to be highly intelligent and powerful. However, it is said that if one can lead themselves, only then can they be capable of leading others. So what does it mean to lead yourself?

Leading yourself means first believing in you, even if no one else does. As I’ve said before, GOD has already instilled within us all of the things that we need to be successful in this life. It is up to us to have faith and believe that no matter how difficult and bumpy the road may get, there are greener pastures just beyond the fears and the doubts.

An article that I read on leadership stated that to lead oneself, one has to do the following:
• Create an inspiring vision of the future that they want to create.
• Motivate one to buy into, believe and deliver the vision.
• Manage the delivery of the vision, through resilience and dedication.
• Building ever-stronger, trust-based relationship with one self.

As a leader, you may feel alone and that your vision is not being shared by others. Ask yourself, am I motivating my team to do their best? Am I being a positive role model and leader? Being a leader definitely means sharpening your motivations skills to get others to believe in your dreams. Being a leader doesn’t have to be a lonely position. It will only be as lonely as you make it. Another great skill of a leader is to develop more leaders. Share your wealth of knowledge with your team to make them better and they will in return share knowledge with you that could make you better. Even leaders can learn from their flock.

Another very important skill that a leader must possess is the ability to believe your gut! Decisions are analyzed by colleagues and data is reviewed to ensure that the best options are presented to the leader but at the end of the day, it is your gut and intuition that leads you to the right decision. Most successful leaders will tell you that most of their decisions are based off their gut feeling. Having faith and taking the time to make the right decisions will assist leaders in staying at the top. And hey, even on the days when it seems that you may be falling from the top, always remember this saying, “A set back is a set up for a comeback!”

Resources:
Dalal, B. (2015, Oct 25). Leadership is Lonely. Leadership is Solitary. Retrieved Oct 30, 2015, from LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-lonely-solitary-bhavna-dalal?trk=hp-feed-article-title-like