How To Become A Leader At A Young Age (Or Any Age)

A young person recently asked me how they can become a leader. I thought about my answer, and I realized that it's applicable to aspiring leaders of any age.

Here's what I told that young person...

Lead yourself first

You need to prove that you are a person worth following before you can lead others.

That doesn’t mean you have to be perfect; no leader is.

It does mean that you have to be self-aware.

You need to know your personal strengths and weaknesses.

Work daily towards building your strengths into superpowers. Understand the situations that trip you up and look to either navigate those challenges more skillfully or avoid them.

Create defined goals and take daily steps to reach them. Measure your progress.

Look at yourself objectively

Treat yourself with compassion and admiration for your efforts to get better. At the same time, be honest and tough when assessing your results. Accept that your work can always improve.

Learn from great leaders

Read biographies of famous leaders. Study their successes and learn from their failures. Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney, John F. Kennedy , and Ulysses S. Grant are some of my favorites.

Help others

Here’s the best definition of leadership that I’ve come across:

A leader is someone who helps another person move from their current state to a better state.

Look for people you can help. There will be opportunities in your school, work, or personal life for someone to step up and take responsibility. Raise your hand and be that person.

Grasp your opportunities and focus all your energy on helping those around you succeed.

Build your coaching and communication skills

Great leaders are great communicators. Learn how to actively listen. Practice crafting your words in a way that is easily relatable to the people you hope to lead. To lead others, you must be understood.

Create trust

Earned trust separates real leaders from pretenders. The people you hope to lead must believe you have the skill to help them and that you have their best interests at heart.

Extend a measured amount of trust before you ask for it in return.

Realize that the only thing harder than building trust is earning it back after you’ve lost it. Be a person of your word.

Keep yourself in the game

If you do all these things, you will be tired! Be ruthless about carving out time for yourself. Self-care isn't selfish; it's the best gift you can give those you lead, because it keeps you in the game.

Know what your sanctuary is.

Your sanctuary is where you to to escape. It's an activity or location that refreshes you. Regularly schedule time for your sanctuary, then honor those commitments.

Consistent leaders know how to recharge and protect against burnout. Make sure you are taking care of yourself so that you can help others for a long time.

The opportunity to lead others is a gift. By building your skills, you will positively affect the lives of countless others.