We live in a time where there is no shortage of opinions, viewpoints, and advice. Due to this age of over-sharing, it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Are you a follower or a leader?
We live in a time where there is no shortage of opinions, viewpoints, and advice. Whether you are watching television, reading an article, viewing online video, or listening to your colleagues chat in the laboratory, everyone seems to have a platform and can share what they think. Due to this age of over-sharing, it’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Are you a follower or a leader?
Are you positioning yourself as a leader at work? Leaders are usually the professionals who are given the best projects, noticed for promotions, and earning raises. It’s true that some people seem as though they were born with innate leadership skills. Leadership can actually be cultivated and improved through self-awareness. If you were never taught how to lead, that is okay. Focus on understanding these three aspects to develop yourself as a leader.
Personality
There are unique traits, tendencies, and preferences that make you who you are. Once you discover more about yourself, you can use this information to perform better at work and effectively lead others. Do you know which environments you work best in? Have you determined the best role you can serve in on a team? Identifying your personality type is simply a guide to understanding your strengths and weaknesses. It shouldn’t be used as a negative label that limits your opportunities or to make you feel bad about yourself. Any personality type can be a leader if they utilize their strengths to leave lasting positive change.
Energy
How do you show up daily on the job? Are you energetic and ready to work? Or are you lethargic and slow to take action? Your level of energy is going to have a major effect on the results you see in the workplace. People with positive energy tend to be inspiring and motivating to others, so they are usually the leaders of choice. Professionals with an overwhelming amount of negative energy can be difficult to be around since they usually operate based on fear and doubt. Stress also has a strong influence on your energy level. If you find yourself unable to well due to stress, review these three tips for stress management.
Attitude
After considering your personality and energy level, your ability to lead will depend primarily on the types of thoughts you’re having. If your thoughts and subsequent actions are positive, it’s common to produce more successful results. If your thoughts and actions are primarily negative, it is usually noticeable and often repels others from you. Leaders who are negative can inspire people using conflict, anger, and manipulation, but this usually leads to creating toxic environments that are not sustainable over the long term. Being conscious of your attitude at work is vital because it can heavily influence others and your reputation.
Everyone has the potential to be a leader. If you are interested in progressing to various levels in your career, developing your leadership skills are important. Think about how your personality, energy, and attitude have been displayed in your current role. Are your coworkers compelled to take action based on your leadership style? Decide which area could be improved that would make the biggest difference in your job performance.
Reference: 3 Tips for Stress Management in a Toxic Environment
Porschia Parker is a Certified Coach, Professional Resume Writer, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. She empowers ambitious professionals and motivated executives to add $10K on average to their salaries.
