The Basic Behaviors of Potential Leaders

The word leader gets lost these days among more trendy titles like influencer and social media celebrity. Still, when someone is a leader, it carries more heft than when someone is an influencer. That is not to look down on social media celebrities and influencers or anything like that. It is just that leadership is not only a title; it is also a quality. Ideally, all leaders are influencers, but not the other way around. Here are some key behaviors that make a leader out of anyone.

Leadership Speaker and Listener

One thing I noticed about many influencers is that they love to talk, that is perfectly fine. To be clear, though when we say leadership speaker and listener, that means you speak and listen with a purpose. Even people who do not see themselves as leaders can have this quality. It merely is listening with intent and speaking based on what you have heard.

This makes one like a leader because it makes people feel genuinely heard and that they matter. Instead of the “look at me” approach, this is more like “do you want to talk?”

Having a Vision

A vision does not have to be some grand idea that you plan to have at the end of many years. It can be as simple as having a good meal at the end of the day. When you have a vision, you also have direction, and that is a good thing. The world today is full of aimless people going about without many purposes. It is not that they are wrong or anything, sometimes they just don’t know where to go.

A vision can help with that. Knowing what you want at the literal end of the day can help direct you. You visualized an idea, and you then move to make it a reality.

Going with the Flow

Now, this is not some hippy or surfer type of “chill” attitude. This simply means adapting. It may be counter-intuitive to the previous behavior, but it also works. For example, if you plan on having a steak dinner after work you will go to a steakhouse, but what do you do when the place is closed — this where you go with the flow. Maybe tonight is not the night for steak, and you eat fish instead.  Adaptability is not just adjusting but keeping calm through the change.

Those are just some qualities that make a leader. If you want to know more, Mark Sanborn is a great resource, and you can his leadership content online.