We all love the thought of being a leader. Who doesn’t?

And we all have a picture of what it takes to be a leader. Maybe you define a leader as:

Someone who leads employees into a new future.

Or

Someone who people rely on when a crisis hits.

Or

Someone who has new, innovative ideas.

A leader. It’s one of those words that we assume that people understand what we talk about. Being a leader creates some kind of image in each person’s mind. And it’s a term easily used at work. But what it exactly means differs from one person to another.

Even leadership experts have different definitions.

Here are some other definitions:

“The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.”

-Peter Drucker

 

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.”

-Warren Bennis

“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

-Bill Gates

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”

-Dwight D. Eisenhower

Just to mention a few.

In the end, all these definitions are not important. Yes, they provide a direction of what leadership is about but what is most important is how you define what a leader is.

If you want to fully embrace your own leadership, you need to know how you define leadership. Otherwise how will you know what to grow, what to strengthen, and what to focus on?

If you want your employees to fully embrace their leadership, they need to know how you define leadership. Otherwise there could be a conflict between your definition of leadership and theirs.

Somehow what needs to happen is a deeper knowing of what it is to be a leader. And the place to start is with yourself. You need to make psychological shifts.

Here are some that my clients have found the most surprising elements of becoming a leader:

1 – Become clear what makes someone a leader in your eyes

How do you define being a leader? Do you use that definition also when you’re setting expectations with your own managers? Or do you use a different definition for them? What about your own boss? Schedule time. It is a priority! And become clear about what you’re talking about when you say “leader”.

2 – Call yourself a leader

Oops. That’s a hard one. Just the thought. What happens if you call yourself a leader? Do you get it? Or do you think that being a leader is for others, like the Bill Gates?

What happens when you call yourself a leader? If you have a hard time calling yourself a leader, investigate what is missing.

3 – Acknowledge the need to communicate

Communicate how you define being a leader. Never expect someone to be able to have a look into what’s going on in your brain. And I know, of course you don’t expect someone to be able to do so but sometimes we expect exactly that.

4 – When you’re a leader, you need to lead yourself

Lead yourself through the obvious and visible leadership components:

Lead so you avoid canceling appointments at the last moment on a regular base, being moody, being late, not walking your talk, communicate instead of connecting … just a few examples of behavior that shows that you can grow in leading yourself.

And lead the less visible leadership components like your mindset:

Lead yourself through your fears, your willingness to invest money in yourself and others to become a leader (do you have a coach?), your disappointments, your happiness and freedom … you need to lead your mindset.

Becoming a leader is a lifelong journey. That commitment for life requires awareness around these words: being a leader. Create that awareness and make the psychological shifts to be a leader.