Do you want to be a leader or a follower? To me, the answer is both. Sometimes, we want to get out in front of things and show our leadership skills. Other times, we need to be a cooperative and collaborative team member.
But, if we are not experienced or “natural born” leaders, what can we do to make ourselves better? Minda Zetlin writes for Inc. that: “Ever wish you were better at getting people to do what you want? You can be. All it takes is practice and desire.”
According to Zetlin, there are ten things that we can do to better influence others to follow our leadership:
- Listen — “Even if you already know what people are going to say, and even if there’s no way you can do what they want, start by listening.”
- Ask questions — “Careful questioning will help you determine what people really want, which is often different from what they say they want.”
- Make a human (personal) connection with people — “Look for ways to connect that have nothing to do with the work at hand.”
- Be more informal — “Decide what you feel comfortable having other people know about you, and then give them a few details. You’ll make other people feel safer and engage their human side.”
- Never miss an opportunity to say thank you.
- Never miss a chance to praise someone — “Most of us never get enough praise for the things we work hard to do.”
- Don’t be afraid to apologize — “An apology is one of the most powerful tools you have for winning people to your side.”
- Try to determine what goals others are seeking — “If you can figure out what people really want or need and make sure they get it, they’ll be that much more likely to give you what you need from them.”
- Help others not to be or feel embarrassed by anything — such as publicly applying for a job for which he/she is not qualified.
- Use the phone more and texting and E-mail less — “There are times when a phone call or face-to-face communication makes a big difference.”
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