How To Project Yourself As A Leader

In a group discussion during a selection process, the person who initiates the discussion is usually the group leader - someone the group members look up to. If it is a confident start, with a voice of conviction and the right context to the topic, he/she naturally becomes the leader of the pack. Although no one appointed him the leader, these qualities invest him/her with a sense of control.

Projecting traits that become of a leader make people sit up and take notice. You may not be the official leader yet, but there are a few things you can do in order to make people consider you as one and pave the way for future opportunities of leading: 

1. Dress for the part: Clothes are an important part of how we feel and how people perceive us. Crisp and appropriate dressing obviously gives one an edge over the others. Developing your own sense of style also makes you stand out as a confident person with a mind of your own.

2. Stand on both feet: Sloppy body language also reflects your state of mind. The reverse is true too. When you address people or mill about at a networking event, plant your feet firmly on the ground. Similarly, in meetings, sit up straight while you are listening. This will also keep you attentive for the next point.

3. Make sensible contributions: Having an opinion is not necessarily a bad thing. It just shows that you have valid contributions to make to a discussion. Ensure that you speak confidently with no fillers or qualifying phrases like, “I am not sure but..” Ask intelligent questions - it shows that you are an attentive listener.

4. Walk in with purpose: It’s been proven that confident people take their time to decide where they want to sit in a room. People unsure of themselves enter the room quickly and quietly settle at the back of the room. Who do you want to be seen as?

5. Maintain eye contact: Whether you are the listener or the speaker, make you sure you look at people. Check your phone or scribble notes later. Eye contact is important to be in the present moment. 

6. Listen attentively: Listening is an important aspect of communication. But its importance is lost among all the hullabaloo about speaking skills. People love ot when you listen to them. While you sit up straight, you become an active listener consciously. This aids is some of the other points I mentioned here - making constructive contributions and asking intelligent questions - and prove that you have been an attentive listener. 

7. Be concise: Being able to make your point in a clear and concise manner is an essential skill to possess. Long winding arguments reveal lack of clarity in thoughts. So, speak to the point and people will respect you for the skill.

8. Be in control of your emotions: Never give in to frustration or get into an argument with someone - signs of immaturity. Maintain dignity in any situation. Respond, don’t react. This projects emotional intelligence.

9. Use inclusive language: Don’t talk ‘at’ people. Use ‘we’ in your sentences and not ‘you’. Inclusive language suggests that all of ‘us’ - which includes you - are responsible for the goals to be achieved. ‘You’ sounds like blame and puts people on the defensive.

10. Power Pose for that extra push: Fake it till you become it - this advice from Amy Cuddy in her famous TED Talk and now, her book, Presence totally makes sense. The numerous studies she talks about in her book prove, out of doubt, how valuable power posing could be to feel like a leader and summon presence when required.

It is important to imbibe these points as a part of your personality. You need to combine the confident body language with your winner attitude for this to work. Think of someone you admire for their poise, looks and attitude. Maybe that’s your point of reference and inspiration to begin with. Start working on believing in and projecting yourself as a leader.

You can read more such content on building skills on our training blog, Soft Skills Studio. Soft Skills Studio was put together as a resource of information for people who want to improve their skills. And now it is also a training and coaching outfit passionate about skills training to make more employees more effective. We think that when work becomes play, success is not by the way and our programs reflect this philosophy.