How to Develop Your Inner Leader: 8 Steps You Can Take Today

Anybody who wants to be a leader can develop the needed skills to do so. There is no need for specialized training. After all, many great entrepreneurs didn't receive any leadership training. They simply worked to develop the skills that made others want to follow their lead. You can do the same thing. Here are 8 steps you can take to develop your inner leader.

1. Treat Every Person With Whom You Interact RespectfullyA good leader never uses a person's position in a company, or in life to determine how they are going to treat that individual. They see everybody as an individual who deserves to be heard and treated with respect. This goes for an intern as much as it goes for the Chief Executive Officer. This is a practice that you should also continue outside of the office. You may find that you struggle to find patience, especially during stressful times, or when you feel as if somebody is shirking their responsibilities or being less than respectful themselves. However, if you stick with it, you will soon become a model of respectful behavior.

2. Spend Time With People Who Can Teach You SomethingThe fastest way to become the boss is to surround yourself with people who know less than you. The surest path to becoming a leader is to surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. The reason for this is that a true leader is happy to set aside their ego in order to gain knowledge. In addition to this, if you want to be a good leader, you have to seek out talent that will help your team achieve its objectives. The best way to do this is find people who can do their jobs better than you, and then giving them the autonomy to do what they do best.

3. Don't Wait For a Promotion to Lead
People who are promoted into leadership positions are often given those opportunities because they have already shown that they have highly developed leadership qualities . You can do the same thing by taking on leadership responsibilities now. For example, you can:
• Volunteer to take a leadership role on small projects
• Draft a solution to a problem, create a proposal, and present that proposal to your boss
• Mentor another staff member by showing them how to do something
• Take ownership in a crisis and volunteer to find a resolution
• Take leadership positions outside of work

4. Work on Your Ability to Collaborate With OthersSometimes, the most talented people in an organization actually struggle to become leaders. One of the reasons for this is that they tend to want to work on their own, and fix problems in the ways that they believe is best. When they do work in groups, these individuals often have difficulty working in that dynamic. They have trouble compromising, and often become frustrated when others don't follow their lead. If this sounds like you, make a dedicated effort to become better at collaborating with others. One thing to keep in mind is that even if you believe that your solution to a particular problem is best, doesn't mean that you cannot see the potential for other solutions to work as well.

5. Develop and Stick to a Strong Code of EthicsIn order to be a good leader, something has to drive your decision making processes besides the bottom line, or what seems to be the best choice for your organization. There has to be an element of ethical consideration in each decision that you make. Chances are, there will be at least one occasion where following your ethics is in contrast with making a decision that results in more profit. That is a difficult decision to make, but if you do the right thing others are more likely to view you as a leader.

6. Become a Great CommunicatorA good leader is always clear, whether they are communicating in person, over the phone, or in writing. They make their expectations clear, and they give meaningful feedback to their team members. Good communications skills is not something that comes naturally to everybody. Some people struggle a bit if they have to communicate in writing, others have difficulty on the phone, and many people have issues when they must address a group. If you want to develop this leadership skill, practice is the best tool.

7. Acknowledge Failures and ShortcomingsSometimes, the single, best thing a leader can say is that they were wrong. The ability to acknowledge a mistake can garner more respect than any stubborn insistence otherwise. It certainly garners more respect than blame placing or attempting to conceal. When a leader shows that they are fallible, but willing to own up, they create an atmosphere that makes it safe for others to communicate freely and try new ideas.