To be a strong and inspiring woman, you’ve got to first consider your overall abilities to lead. It is by no means an essential component in the beginning, but we must remember that if we are to evoke a strong and inspiring presence, being a leader is the vast majority of the equation. So, with this in mind, if you do not have those relevant skills, or you feel they need to improve, how can you do this? Here are mindset strategies for developing your inner leader.
Think about your education
This is the best place to begin. Consult any HBS admissions consultant and they will tell you that, to be the leader you want, it’s not about having a certain level of skill, but it’s about making sure you have that innate ability to learn.
That is the most important thing. As soon as you start to learn how to learn effectively, you soon can put the components in place.
It’s not about being born with the ability. Instead, it’s about having that ability (and desire) to learn.
Strengthen your inner leader by developing awareness
Here’s something that we do not always consider as potential leaders. Having that acute awareness is going to give you that ability to deal with any situation will allow you to develop that important ability to get out of any situation.
In one respect, we can learn by doing, and when we hit certain problems, developing a situational awareness allows us to become more pragmatic. It also brings out that inner project manager.
Being disciplined
If we are to be effective leaders, we must remember that discipline makes all the difference. To be a great leader, being disciplined, not just in our education, but in our abilities to deal with stress will make a considerable impact on our ability to lead.
It’s about being calm in times of crisis. And this boils down to the discipline we have within ourselves.
It’s about not rising to the bait if someone is trying to get a reaction out of you, or you feel that the business is falling behind. Great inner leaders know how to play the long game. And whether this is in business or in life, understanding how to bide your time is going to serve you in significant ways.
Tapping into your inner leader: Learn to be calm
Great leaders will never show that they are vulnerable because they have learned how to navigate choppy waters. If we are to develop leadership skills effectively, we have to recognize that stress gets to the best of us, but we must learn how to handle it.
Stress is unavoidable. So, we must be able to cope with the rigors of running a business or being the best version of ourselves. There will be times when we hit a wall, but this is why we must learn to fight our negative thoughts.
Using tactics like positive self-talk helps a lot. So does the realization that you have to rely on your own initiative. While you may want to follow others’ advice, it is not necessary to be a great leader. Instead, it’s about being able to trust your instincts.