Leadership is not a quality that someone is born with. Great leaders are forged, usually by other great leaders. The saying “steel forges steel” comes to mind. However, leadership and mentorship are not as prevalent as they were just 20 years ago. With this leadership series, I intend to give some of my advice on how to become a great leader. However, to get the most usage out of this series, you will also need to obtain the help of a mentor. Why is it important to be a great leader? The hardest part about running your own business is dealing with personalities (your people and others). Leadership is the glue that keeps the team tight, content, and on-task. If you plan on being successful at running a business, you will need leadership skills.
The first leadership skill I would like to talk about is self-discipline. My favorite saying in regards to self-discipline is “how can you lead others if you cannot lead yourself?” I find this statement to be very true. As a leader, everything that you do is being watched by your highers, peers, and subordinates. They are looking at your personal appearance, your timeliness, how you handle tough situations, your overall demeanor, your relationships, and more. If you are a great leader, they will want to be exactly like you. If you are a bad leader, they will choose the opposite style of leadership. Is it fair to have all this attention? Yes and no, but it is a part of life. If you are planning to run your own business, be prepared for this scrutiny. If anything, it should help you hold yourself to a higher standard.
How do you improve your self-discipline? The easiest way to improve self-discipline is by building a routine. It takes 30-60 days to form a routine or habit. Once you have it set, you are on the fast track to self-discipline. Being a military person for over 21 years has allowed me to learn how to build routines rather quickly. Back in 2013, I decided that I would need to exercise every day of the week. I thought it best to exercise super early in the mornings (0400) in order to get back and see my family off to school and work. This routine has stuck with me through 4 different duty stations (South Carolina, Japan, Florida, and Japan). So, even though the time zones changed, and my work situations varied greatly, I was still able to stick to my routine.
If you create routines for waking up, exercise, and leaving the house, this will almost ensure you arrive to work a certain time. This is the start of your leadership abilities. Your employees will definitely be looking at what time you arrive every day. Once you get to work, create routines based on walking around the office and talking to random people. For example, give yourself 30 minutes to check emails and then do a 15-minute walk around the office. Little routines like this go a long way towards setting yourself apart from other bosses or leaders.
The underlying trait for building routines is self-discipline. If you are lacking self-discipline, you will have to improve this trait if you plan on leading a team or business. There is always the option to hire a manager to run the day-to-day operations. However, will this person have the same vision for your company as you? I believe that anyone can improve self-disciple if they want to. With today’s gadgets such as phones, watches, alarms, calendars, etc.. I do not see a reason why anyone couldn’t be their most disciplined self.
Start working on your self-discipline today. Whether it is exercise, eating, hygiene, house cleanliness, reading, etc. You can start today. It will pay huge dividends toward being considered a great leader.
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Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor or money manager, and any knowledge is given as guidance and not direct actionable investment advice. Please research any investment vehicles that are being considered. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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