Most of us are lucky if we find a leader people follow. The type of leader that we would do anything to help. They inspire, challenge, and enrich our lives in long-lasting ways. They listen to us, make us feel valued, and include us in their inner circle. However, we have also had “bosses” that we only follow because they have the title. We all know about that experience. If you are already a leader, are you one that people follow? Try incorporating these nine characteristics, and you’ll be the leader people follow.
Here are 9 ways you can become the leader people follow
1. Offer a Clear Vision for your Organization so you are a Leader People Want to Follow
You need to have a clear vision of what you expect to accomplish. Your vision is the guiding light for the entire organization. Besides the clarity this gives you, it also reassures and guides your team. How will your teams know if you aren’t sure what you want to achieve? You are the guide.
2. Listen to Your Teams
Listening to people’s ideas, suggestions, and complaints is essential for any leader. It’s important to act on them as well. People who know you listen and respond to their suggestions will feel more comfortable following you.
3. Delegate And Get Out of The Way
You don’t have the time to manage every little detail. Delegate tasks to the people you think are best suited, and let them work. This attitude shows trust in your team and that you respect their ability. You can check-in to make sure there are no issues but don’t micro-manage them.
4. Empower Other People
Empowering people helps them feel more responsible and important. Giving people responsibilities or challenging them to develop solutions helps them feel more engaged with the team. When people feel involved, they often perform better. More empowerment and better performance are enticing reasons for someone to follow you.
5. Embrace and Share Your Passion with Others
Most people aren’t naturally inclined to follow uninspiring or completely unexcitable people. It’s much more enjoyable to follow people who aren’t afraid to get excited about their work. Being passionate about your goals – and not afraid to show them – will make you much easier to follow and support.
6. Make Decisions & Take Responsibility
A leader needs to lead. You have to make decisions – even the tough ones – and live with the results. Don’t hide behind your team if you make a terrible decision. Take responsibility and develop a plan to fix it. Don’t be hesitant in making decisions and make them with conviction.
7. Show Your Appreciation to Others
Many leaders need to hear this. You’ve likely had a boss who needs to listen to this. Show your appreciation when someone does something nice for you or accomplishes something important. It doesn’t have to be a big reward; a simple acknowledgment will often mean the world to someone.
8. Exhibit Integrity in All You Do
If you don’t walk the walk, no one will listen to you talk the talk. People find it much easier to follow people with integrity and authenticity. People will be less inclined to follow you if you are dishonest, unreliable, or otherwise exhibiting a lack of integrity. You can’t hide a lack of authenticity. It will show to the world.
9. Learn How to Communicate Effectively
Communication is crucial for any leader. Good communication includes an ability to inform people while also inspiring them. Quite often, persuasive communication can attract followers on its own. If you can manage that balancing act, you are well on your way to becoming a leader people want to follow.
Action Steps for Implementation
1. Make a list of all the leaders in your life that you can remember. Think about teachers, politicians, bosses, etc., that touched your life. Organize your list into two columns: outstanding and poor.
2. Think about good leaders. What characteristics, traits, or actions made them outstanding? Which could you adopt?
3. Now, think about the bad leaders. What characteristics, traits, or actions made them poor leaders? Which traits will you work to improve in yourself?
Check out my video on purpose also my blog post on leading with a clear purpose
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