How to Become a Leader in Business
Strong businesses have strong leaders. If you are leading small business and are looking for ways to grow and bring in more success, start by looking in the mirror. One of the best ways to invest in your business is to invest in yourself. Start becoming a successful leader today by working toward developing these characteristics.
Be Humble
The first lesson of successful leadership: Be humble. Humble people are easy to follow because they admit when they are wrong and make transparent efforts to improve and do better. No one wants to follow someone who is prideful and won’t admit when they make mistakes. Your humility will set an example for the whole team and build unity into your small business culture.
Be Enthusiastic
Do something that you love, and make coming to work fun for you and for those you work with. Be excited about your business and the products, and be supportive of the people around you. In the world of MLM businesses, independent consultants—such as those for industry leader Nu Skin (sometimes spelled Nuskin)—are encouraged to market their businesses not just by directly marketing the products, but through their enthusiasm for the products and for their lifestyle. Enthusiasm can go a long way in inspiring others.
Be Teachable
Even the most successful business leaders aren’t alone at the top. They surround themselves with people who know more than they do—after all, no one’s an expert in everything—and bounce ideas off of them. Hiring people who are experts in their field such as accountants, lawyers, and marketing professionals frees you up to do what you do best: work on improving your business. Good leaders always strive to learn more and do better, and it can take getting some advice and honest feedback to truly improve. For example, certain types of consultants have a built-in network of other consultants to give them ideas and feedback as they work on becoming business leaders.
Be Encouraging
Successful business leaders don’t focus just on their own growth, but that of others. If you are constantly handing down assignments and demands without any discussion of the reasoning behind those, you’re managing, not leading. A leader is transparent about what they ask of others and why, and they encourage those under them to take on assignments and opportunities that will challenge them and make them better. Leaders build others up by praising their employees and rewarding their successes.
Becoming a successful business leader, even while running a small business, is well within reach. Work on these skills and study the lives and attributes of great leaders, and you’re on your way to becoming a true leader—both in business and in life.
