5 Tips to Unleash Your Inner Leader Now!

I had the pleasure of being able to go to a leadership summit hosted by the Detroit Chapters of The Association for Women in Communications (AWC), and The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). I got to hear from some pretty powerful women in a Ted X format, be inspired by their experience and lessons, and not to mention rub shoulders with professionals who have been in the field for years! My takeaways from this evening were to be a leader, you should probably consider: Creating a Board of Directors, Learn to Fail, Taking Risks, Raise People Up, and Remain Authentic. 

1 - Build your B.O.D!

Build your own personal Board of Directors! There are many benefits to having one. They act as a sounding board and a safe place to bounce ideas off of. It's effective peer mentoring, not to mention the personal benefits like friendships.  You can build these at any stage of your career, by networking and going to conferences, belonging to organizations and societies, and by having effective communication. 

A diversity of opinion is important, there's no point in having one if they're going to agree with everything you do or if their sole purpose is to stroke your ego. Having a quality BOD will help you make informed career decisions, and you will end up inspiring each other. Leaders promote inspiration, and inspiration promotes leaders. 

"You need a number of people to help you navigate." Dr. Sibrina Collins - Executive Director of the Marburger STEM Center, Lawrence Technological University 

2 - Learn to Fail

While failing is extremely hard to handle at first, it's actually a fundamental part of growing as an individual. If you're going to be good, you're going to fail a lot. Failure is actually sometimes a better lesson than success. Think about it, if you were always right would you ever learn? 

So instead of tearing yourself down, learn from your failures but be kind to yourself about it. Tell yourself that it was one mistake, you're human, and you'll be better tomorrow. Don't let little things like that hinder you from reaching your full potential by demonstrating leadership and accountability. 

"If we meet ourselves with compassion, we deal better with criticism and handle failure better." Harper West - Psychotherapist, Author, and IABC Detroit Past President

3 - Take Risks

On the path to leadership, you should think about how practical your methods are.  Not every demonstration of leadership has to be some revolutionary idea. It can be as simple as how you show up to work or class. With that being said, you should not blend in. People who are blend in and simply do what they're supposed to do don't get noticed. Being a bold leader doesn't mean you always have to be over-the-top. If you're on a team, and your group doesn't seem very inspired, you can be bold by putting yourself out there, and painting the vision for them!

"You don't always have to be overly bold, or overly grandiose to be an effective leader." Renee Rashid-Merem - Director, Global Manufacturing & Labor Communications, General Motors

4 - Raise People Up

Leadership means you don't take the path of least resistance. For example, if someone you know is making inappropriate comments at someone else's expense, it might be easier to chuckle and brush it off, or not say anything at all. If your goal is to be a leader, you should lead by example and call them out on it. We've evolved as a society; making fun of others really should not be tolerated or be used as a device to find common ground. 

This is another simple way in which you can stand out and be a leader. Leaders lift one another up and celebrate differences. 

"What makes us different as a team, is also what makes us better as a team." Jocelyn Allen - Co-founder and CEO, The Allen Lewis Agency. 

5 - Remain Authentic

This might sound a bit obvious, but it's probably hard to be a considered a leader if you don't care about your cause.  Being authentic means you are self-aware, hold yourself to your own morals, and are transparent.  Being an authentic leader is not wearing one hat at work, and another during your free time. It's not a part-time job, it's who you are regardless of who is watching. Authentic leaders are able to do whatever needs to be done to further their organization, regardless of their own power, money, or self-image.

"You need to have the tenacity and the audacity to do what needs to be done." Dr. Darienne Driver - President and CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan

In Short…

I'm sure no one has quite mastered every aspect of being a leader, we're all human and mess up. Being a leader is mostly about knowing you're going to mess up and figuring out better avenues to address situations when we do. It's about how you show up every day, it's about setting the tone, and being an example and inspiration to others. Knowing your weaknesses and working on addressing them. Start working on some of your skills today by; 

1. Surrounding yourself with ambitious induvial who will push you. 
2. Practice how you deal with failure. 
3. Being bold in how you operate daily.  
4. Embracing differences and learning from others.
5. Remaining true to your own morals.