Am I a Leader?

As women, we have dynamic lives, full of opportunity and continuous challenge. We fill a variety of roles – we are mothers, daughters, friends, volunteers and mentors. We also are called upon to lead everyday, though many of us have never considered ourselves leaders.

We are leaders, whether we recognize it or not. This is because leadership is not about prestige, power or position. Leadership is our ability to influence outcomes, to inspire others and to continually set goals for future success.

Consider the last time you challenged yourself to run a 5K, or the day you encouraged your friend to make a career change. How about that time when you cared for an elderly relative, or managed a team at work? Though it may not have seemed obvious at the time, all of those activities required you to be a leader.

You may not be the best leader right now, but you have the potential to be a stronger, more confident leader. Leadership skills take time and discipline to develop, but the payoff is worth the dedication. To become a better leader, there are four things that you can do everyday to improve your leadership abilities:

* Meet and exceed the standards you ask of others – Lead from the Front! Leaders have one standard – a high standard they ask others to keep and the same one they keep for themselves. As a leader, you have to set the example for your friends, kids, coworkers and relatives. You also have to have integrity, which is the ability to do the right thing all of the time. When you lead from the front, you are able to create a strong team among those who surround you.

* Leadership is about service - take care of those you lead. Are you doing everything you can to care for your husband, family members, or friends? Continually ask yourself what else you can do to help someone out. This might mean helping your colleague with her resume, or driving your elderly neighbor to the store. The more willing you are to help others, the more your relationships will be built on trust and respect.

* Seek to take responsibility before you place blame. As a leader, avoid placing blame. Look to see where you contributed to a problem and, once identified, move forward with a solution. Placing blame wastes time and it damages valuable relationships. If you are focused on influencing outcomes, the blame game will only slow you down. Make sure the word “accountability” is in your vocabulary.

* Lead as you are – always. Being a leader doesn’t mean you have to change who you are – it just means that you just have to become a better you. Begin to learn your strengths and weaknesses and work to capitalize and improve upon them as needed. If you are shy, and would like to be more outspoken, think of environments where you can practice voicing your opinion. If you have a great sense of humor, make sure that is part of your leadership style – people around you will appreciate your good nature. As you begin to learn about yourself, you build character. You also become better equipped for the ups and downs life throws your way.

Think of the benefits in your world as when you acknowledge that you are a leader. By accepting responsibility for your actions, you can start focusing on solutions rather than excuses. By leading as you are, you can have more confidence in being yourself – rather than the person you think everyone else wants you to be. Finally, by becoming a better caretaker, you sleep well at night knowing those you love have everything they need.

Start believing that you are a leader today! When you commit yourself to becoming a stronger leader, your perspective on the world changes – you begin to feel more in control of your life, and you start to see opportunities in areas where you never looked before. By being a better leader, you will surprise yourself with the success and gratification you have discovered in your life … and your leadership potential will amaze you!