*This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a commission at no cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.
Whether you are looking to build wealth through being a savvy entrepreneur or starting a business, the most important thing is to fine-tune your leadership skills. So many people want to take charge of their lives by setting up their own business but the wealth of companies that are in circulation in the big wide world means that you have to figure out ways to separate yourself somehow. This is why we have to stop acting as someone who is in charge of something, and actually being a real leader. This is something that makes a big difference, not just to how we view our business, but it will be a mindset that serves as well throughout our entire lives. And it all begins with some mindset changes that can make you a better leader, including the following.
Leaders who are driven by a desire to advance in their careers are more open to change. A good leader will always look for the opportunity to instigate change. You may think this sounds obvious, but when you get into the finite details, you will be surprised by how many people shy away from growth as a mindset. This is probably why so many people are jumping on the franchise bandwagon. And if you are interested in this approach, there are plenty of businesses for sale near you that you can get stuck into, but it will always come back to growth regardless of the business model you have. Going after growth is about taking yourself out of your comfort zone and always looking for new and exciting ways to develop.
A great leader isn’t just someone who knows how to stand tall, but they are someone that knows how to be vulnerable. This is difficult for many leaders because they think that they need to be someone who is impenetrable to any stress, but this is probably a hangover from the baby boomer generation, as many people thought that sharing any form of emotional feeling could be perceived as weakness. If we have learnt anything, it’s that having the ability to share weaknesses is a sign of strength. This can be measured in terms of emotional intelligence, and when you know how to manage your own emotions you will have a far better skill-set to deal with problems that come your way.
Many leaders still believe that they have to be strong, stable, and supportive. But if you are like this, where would you get your support from? Everybody needs to learn how to overcome challenges from time to time. Leaders need to embody a holistic view, especially when they are leading a team of people. Even if you are running a business and it’s just yourself, you should seek support from people like mentors so you can ensure that you are providing the right support and not operating with an outdated strategy. When you seek help, it is setting a good example for any employees you bring on board. When people are open to guidance, this will create a healthy workplace culture, which means that your employees are also inclined to ask for help. And this will, in turn, breed a culture of support.
Every business will undergo pressures in uncertain times. Great leaders know how to embrace reality in these situations. When leaders understand the purpose is to lead others during uncertainty, they can develop ways to become comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. Nobody likes the idea of uncertainty, and this has a lot to do with our abilities to handle stress. It is vital to have an adaptive mindset, and this can stem from having the right tools to handle stress. When we become more comfortable with the notion of being uncomfortable it teaches us the importance of slowing down. Everybody can feel stressed, but this is where having a plethora of tools in your toolbox that deal with your inherited weaknesses will help. Learning how to address your weaknesses is so important because if you do not do this, you could be operating with the blinkers on. Conducting a SWOT analysis on yourself doesn’t just mean you are focusing on the weaknesses, but you are also able to determine what your strengths are when faced with opposition and threats.
If you put a personality on you betray who you really are. While there’s a lot to be said for “faking it until you make it,” when you are in tune with the authentic version of yourself, you will be by leading with more clarity. Learning to change your mindset from reactive responses to creative ones will make you a better leader, and when you are authentic, you become more focused on the core purposes, which means you will stay calm despite any uncertainty.
Many people who start businesses love the idea of being in charge. Partly, this could be because they have never been in a position of power so they are creating an opportunity. But being a good leader is not about barking orders. You should never start with telling people what needs to be done, but you need to understand why things need to be done. When you focus on the why, you start to inspire action. Ordering people about does not motivate them, so you need to provide challenges that add meaning and vision. But also, don’t think that you would need to come up with the solutions.
A holistic leader is someone who can work within the environment and absorb the salient points, whether it’s working with clients or customers and anybody in between. And it all begins with being human. Being a leader is not about an inhuman process, if anything, leadership is profoundly human. And this could mean that if you want to be a better leader, operating with some or all of these mindsets will make a significant difference to every aspect of your work and life.