In the world of business, many people want to be in charge, but not everyone is meant to be a leader. A leader isn’t someone who tells others what to do and rewards them with incentives. Being a leader is completely different than being the boss. A leader is someone who connects with their employees and inspires them to be greater. A leader works with their employees to create an environment that’s beneficial for them and is one they can thrive in. A leader inspires their employees and shows them how to motivate themselves and gives them a sense of purpose. Because of these factors, not everyone can be a leader. Some people are natural-born leaders, while others have to work to develop these skills. Here are three signs that you have what it takes to thrive in leadership.
You make people better
If the people around you seem to benefit by having your guidance, you may be cut out for leadership. Someone suited for leadership works to create a learning organization that values the contributions of every member. A leader needs to create an environment where people can grow and develop, and where people feel intrinsically motivated. Not every leader can create this type of environment, but those who can will fare well.
Your highest priority is developing trust
A leader should be focused on creating a culture of trust within their organization and with every individual employee. Many working environments are dispersed and virtual, meaning there can be little interaction between team members. To combat this, leaders must work even harder to maintain cohesion and encourage collaboration. Leaders have to display behaviors that lead to trust to build these types of teams. A strong leader must operate with transparency, empathy and integrity if they want to earn the trust and respect of their entire team.
You want to change people’s lives
If your only reasoning for wanting to be a leader is to bolster your resume and increase your paycheck, then you won’t succeed. Leaders should genuinely care about making a difference in the lives of those they work with. Someone who is born to be a leader knows how to reinforce the company’s mission to engage with their employees. They look for ways to add purpose and meaning into the lives of their employees and align the job duties with the mission.