Leadership.

A misused noun that is often mistaken for bossy, dictating, and perhaps bullying. But the true definition of leadership is in the word; lead, to guide and to mentor.

There are many different styles of leadership but at its core leadership is about being an influence. It’s about being of service to others, not served by others. It is about being goal-oriented, respectful, compassionate, and open-minded. Powerful leaders actually put their character into action and use it to motivate others to stay on course.

But what traits can help establish whether you have leadership qualities as opposed to bossy qualities?

Marcel Schwantes, principal and founder of ‘Leadership from the Core’ discusses four examples that confirm you were born to be a leader:

1. Having an innate desire to make people better at what they do.

“Leaders look to develop the skills, competencies, and leadership of others…”

2. Your highest leadership priority is to develop trust.

“The secret is trust. And the foundation for trust is integrity.”

3. You rely on your instincts and gift of intuition.

“Great leaders can sniff out the signals in the environment and sense what's going on without having anything spelled out for them.”

4. Your whole reason for working and doing business is to change lives.

“Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group, said, "There's no point in starting a business unless you're going to make a dramatic difference to other people's lives. So if you've got an idea that's gonna make a big difference to other people's lives, then just get on and do it." 

Be a leader, not a boss.

Read more of Schwantes article on:
https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/4-signs-you-might-actually-be-a-really-good-leader.html

Written by Kim Chance