5 Habits that Successful Leaders Have

Whether you are a business leader, an engineering lead, an entrepreneur, or an individual contributor, you might have noticed some common behaviors in people who lead. In this article, I will list down the 5 habits that successful leaders have in common.

 

  • Having a Positive Mindset

Great leaders have a positive mindset and they radiate positive energy to others. They strongly believe that they are they are confident, successful, and loved. Successful leaders read inspirational books, listen to motivational speakers, attend personal development workshops, and surround themselves with positive like-minded people. They hire right people on their teams, who not only have the right skills but also possess a positive mindset. Such positive minded people are self-motivated to perform at their best.

Check out the inspirational book, Think Positive, Speak Positive, Act Positive - A 3 Step Strategy to Embrace Positivity and Change Your Life.

 

  • Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is vital to the success of an organization. In 1938, Chester Barnard, the author of pioneering work in management theory and organizational studies, concluded that effective communication is the most important responsibility of leaders. Leaders listen effectively and encourage their team members to provide feedback. They keep an open mind, encourage collaboration, and promote consensus.

 

  • Empowering Others

Great leaders with a positive mindset empower the team. They target to create more leaders than followers.

The best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution, Bill Gates stated, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

Leaders inspire their team, appreciate their work, help their team members to grow their visibility, connect them with right opportunities, and encourage them to fulfill their dreams. One of the richest American and successful industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, once said, “No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”

 

  • Continuous Learning

Great leaders always look forward to read inspirational books, listen to motivational speakers, read the autobiographies of other great leaders, and learn from successful self-development coaches. They often listen to audiobooks while driving to work. Leaders set aside some percentage of their earnings to invest in their learning. John F. Kennedy once stated, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”

 

  • Networking

Successful leaders spend their time and energy to build strong relationships with others. They like to connect with like-minded people. Leaders like to attend seminars, workshops, meetings, conferences, and any other public events not only to build their expertise but to meet new people who share their passion and purpose.

There’s a famous quote, Birds of the same feather flock together.”

 

These are the 5 habits that successful leaders have. If you have noticed other such common habits, leave your comments below.

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How to Build Self-Confidence?

Many children and adults suffer from low self-esteem. Having nurtured the feelings of self-doubt, they struggle both at work and at home. They don't understand how to build self-confidence. Not only they have fewer friends, but they also lead an unhappy life. Such people struggle with their studies, careers, health, and relationships. Often, they think negative and find faults in others. As a result, they neither trust their own potential nor they see good qualities in others. 

Self-confidence is a mindset that can be mastered like any other skill. Some of the effective ways to build your self-confidence are listed here:

 

Body Language

Body language is a form of non-verbal communication that exposes one’s feelings, moods, and thoughts. One must be cautious of his or her body language and practice to present himself or herself in a confident manner. Holding your head high, sitting up straight, straightening your back, and maintaining consistent eye contact are some of the gestures that demonstrate self-confidence.

 

Grooming

Though obvious and most simple, the regular morning activities such as bathing, shaving, and trimming set a positive mood for the day. One should also remember to wear a deodorant or a perfume.

 

Dress-Up

If you dress nicely, you feel good about yourself. Dress such that you look confident to others. If you want to be a senior executive in your company, dress-up like one. Look in the mirror each morning and ask yourself if you look like other senior executives in the company. When you are dressed nicely, you will act more confident.

 

Embrace Positivity

Think, speak, and act in a positive way. Have a can-do attitude. Smile, laugh and surround yourself with like-minded positive people. Set aside sometime during each day to read motivational books. Do not feed negativity in your mind. When negative thoughts come to the mind, replace them with positive ones or engage yourself in some activity such as reading a book, listening to music, running, or socializing etc. Declare positive things for yourself. Speak to others in a positive way. Define your success and act in a positive way. This will boost your self-confidence and you’ll soon start to see a difference.

 

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