Some people work their entire life to obtain the leadership position of their dreams. Others wake up one morning to find they have become a leader after plodding along happily on their own. Still, more may have leadership thrust upon them and are unsure how it happened. Each of these scenarios adds up to the same thing, a leader who has to be effective and followers who will determine their level of success. If any of these stories come closer to yours and you want to make the most of the responsibilities you have been given, read on.
Get Tough
First, it is essential to understand that shepherding a flock can take on many different meanings. Regardless of the words that fit your situation, you can use the 75 hard challenge to learn how to strengthen your position and enhance the job you do. Consider these various faces of administration and management:
- Parents are charged with raising their children and teaching them proper morals and ethics. They face challenges at every turn, from the terrible twos to adolescence and teenage years. Raging hormones can exacerbate the most non-confrontational situations, and the influences from outside sources can become a constant competitor. When they learn how to develop a strong relationship with the youngster they care for, they can be more confident in the decisions they have to make.
- School personnel must oversee hundreds of individuals from various backgrounds who carry unknown stories into the schools and classrooms. In addition to conveying academic curricula, these adults must foster self-esteem and manage multiple personalities without losing focus on the subject matter they know best.
- Retails supervisors have to bounce between their service to the general public and supervise employees who may be similar in age or even older. Working with different demographics can make it difficult to stick to just one policy, so this person needs to possess the confidence to make decisions and follow through with the action plans they set in place.
- Professional or corporate bosses are likely tasked with guiding more than one department simultaneously and efficiently. They must master the art of honesty to maximize everyone’s time and boost the group’s productivity.
Hundreds of additional relationships depend on upbeat tutelage, but the truth is that being sturdy and resilient can increase anyone’s authority and hopefully bring excellent job satisfaction.
Find Discipline
The second area for consideration is your ability to commit to self-improvement despite any setback you may experience. Sometimes leadership requires a complete reversal or reimagining of what you believe to be true. In these moments, it is helpful to remember that change is good. It is easy to fall into a dangerous pitfall when you do not have to answer to anyone else, but when you become the go-to resource, positivity is paramount. Establishing clear guidelines and protocols and enforcing them consistently is the measure of a productive figurehead.
Believe
Finally, recognize that more doubt will fester if doubt is the foundation. Once you resolve to put in the time to transform your approach, you may observe physical and mental growth that you did not you were capable of achieving. When you embrace the outcomes you produce, you start to own the reasons you excel, and the people who surround you may gain new respect for the leader you have become.
Nearly everyone has an opportunity at some point in time to move to the front of the line and take charge of the contingency behind them. While succumbing to your fears may be tempting, a better way forward is to study the process and proceed with the fortitude and grit waiting to be uncovered inside you.
