The world is full of followers and the leaders who guide the way. If you want to be a leader, get people to follow you by giving them a reason to believe you have what it takes. People will buy into the leader before they buy into what the leader is trying to sell. To be a leading business professional, you must have the capacity to be influential. No one will listen or follow you if there is no substance behind your personal brand.
Leaders and successful people are not born with a leading personality. It is a learned behavior. With awareness and diligence, you too can transform yourself into a great business leader. Here are 7 traits that can help you to become an influential business leader too.
1. Originality
When you head into a job interview, a common question is, “Why should we hire you?”
These types of questions prompt answers that deal with individuality and uniqueness. With the competitiveness of the job market today, how can you stand out? How can you show others that you not only possess the skills of a great leader but also have innovative methods and perspectives that few others do?
Being a successful leader means being able to show people why you are better than the rest.
2. Trustworthiness
Relationships are always built on trust. Close relationships with your family mean that you trust them with all of your well-being and personal endeavors.
Relationships with business partners mean that you have to trust them to take care of things that pertain to your company, money, and clients. In turn, these people have to be able to trust you too. When you say that you will do something, stick to it and always remain consistent. Over time, people will begin to trust who you are and what you bring to the table.
Trust is earned, not given.
3. Community-Mindedness
Although the world’s population continues to expand rapidly, it doesn’t mean that people don’t prefer smaller communities and groups.
Being community-minded helps you build camaraderie and rapport with your following. Show them that you care about engaging with them on a more personal level and that you take an interest in what they like and dislike.
Nothing speaks more than a leader willing to cater his or her strategy to the audience’s’ preferences.
4. Your Value
What exactly do you bring to the table that makes you so valuable?
In the sense of social currency, where your value matters in the business world, you need to be able to show people why you belong at the top. Many big-time executives will show up to work wearing jogging pants and tennis shoes while everyone else is in business suits. No one can tell them anything because they bring so much value to the company regardless of their wardrobe choices.
Your value will represent who you are and what you offer rather than the designer clothes you can wear.
5. Feedback
Nothing beats a rave review from someone who had the experience of working with you.
Asking for feedback not only gives you a sense of your strengths and shortcomings, it opens the floor for people to talk about you. Referrals can spread like wildfire. If you’ve left good impressions on people, they will tell others about you, which will only help you build a more positive brand.
You can encourage people to write reviews about you via testimonials or surveys for your business. This will greatly increase your exposure and experience in working with a variety of people.
6. Communication
People are drawn to those who speak well and with intention.
If you have social media platforms, don’t just send out posts to them. Engage with your following and help them see how personable you can be. Reply to comments they post on your pages so that you can open up lines of communication with them.
Being accessible and communicative are key elements to being able to influence others in a positive manner and show your leadership skills.
7. Collaborate
In order to build your social circles in a business sense, you need to reach out to other big business leaders in the industry.
Working and collaborating with them will not only help you as a means to network, you will also be able to gain valuable strategies and feedback from known, effective leaders. Plus, your followings will begin to see who you associate yourself with. If they notice that you have affiliations with people they also look up to, then you’re more likely to create a lasting impression in their minds.
In order to be a great and influential leader, you must do more than just implement strategic business methods. You must change your mindset. Possessing and integrating these 7 traits will ensure that you can be someone who leaves a powerful impression on the business world.
This is a Contributor Post. Opinions expressed here are opinions of the Contributor. Influencive does not endorse or review brands mentioned; does not and cannot investigate relationships with brands, products, and people mentioned and is up to the Contributor to disclose. Contributors, amongst other accounts and articles may be professional fee-based.