Leadership Advice From Mark Wiseman: 5 Tips for Becoming Your Best Self

In order to be a great leader, you have to strive to be the best version of yourself. It isn’t easy most of the time, because you'll have to spend some time outside of your comfort zone. Mark Wiseman—a global investment manager and a business executive—knows just how difficult and rewarding this can be. When you’re out of your comfort zone, it allows you to grow as a person, a leader, and truly meet your full potential.

It doesn’t matter what you want to lead: from your own small business, a classroom, or even a huge global company. Everyone can benefit from pursuing his or her best self. Here are five tips from Mark Wiseman to get you a little closer.

Make your investments healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Does the best version of you have some sort of wealth? That can be a personal goal or a business goal. For most people, the best version of him or herself does have some money attached to their name. Even if it just means having enough money to go out to eat whenever you want, it should be a goal of yours to build wealth.

As an investment manager, Mark Wiseman knows a thing or two about investing. According to Wiseman, wealth is a long-term game. Making the right investments and continuing to invest after putting in that initial money is extremely important, so you can continue to accrue wealth. How can you lead effectively if you’re completely stressed out about your financial future? Quite simply, you can’t. Take the steps to lead yourself into a fiscally bright future.

Dress like you want to be seen.

You can tell a lot about a person by the clothes they wear. Each outfit is a story and a signifier. Have you ever considered what your clothes are saying about you? If you want to be taken seriously as a leader, you have to take your image seriously. Make sure your clothes are always pressed and well put together when you’re going out in public. That being said, you don’t have to look stuffy to make a good impression.

Find a look that reflects what you’re leading. If you’re a woman working at a firm, look into petite jackets that come in both fun and muted colors. You can wear a different jacket depending on the mood and occasion. On days you need a little bit more authority, try on a few outfits and see what makes you feel like the best boss you can be. If your job is more casual, find what it means to dress like the best version of yourself. You can still show off your personality and look incredible.

Be open to conflict.

A great leader isn’t afraid of conflict, because he or she knows that leading without conflict will never actually happen. There will be ups and downs, and how you roll with those punches makes you who you are. Mark Wiseman encourages leaders to find opportunities even in difficult times.

For example, the pandemic has obviously hurt the economy quite a bit. However, Wiseman encourages people to take advantage of low buy-in rates in the stock market to grow their wealth in the future. Ultimately, if you’re investing long-term, this downswing in the market won’t matter. Even if money is tight, invest a little bit, so that when the market thrives again, you’ll be on top with everyone else.

Know when to stay and when to leave.

A true leader knows when to trust his or her gut. If your gut is telling you to stick it out in a difficult situation, you’re probably right. Again, think long-term instead of being reactive.

Understand that your best self is a journey, not a destination.

Finding the best version of yourself isn’t a final destination as much as you might want it to be. Accepting the fact that it’s your responsibility to continually grow and change will put you on the path towards your best self. By continuing to do the work, you’ll always be headed in the right direction.