How To Practice Your Leadership Skills….Even If You’re Not A Leader

Leadership skills are something you can get better at developing. Even though some people may seem to be natural born leaders, these types of characteristics aren’t something most of us simply possess. Even those who are blessed with such talents must practice in order to hone them. Just like other types of abilities, practice makes perfect when it comes to becoming a Vibrant Holistic Visionary and leader. Read the tips below to discover ways to improve your own proficiency.

Take on Responsibility

Whether it be at work or within your private endeavors, volunteering to take on added responsibility is a great way to work on your leadership skills. As a light worker this is one of the ways that I’m sure you’ll feel happy about as we always want to contribute more. Although sticking with the status quo is easy and safe, it doesn’t allow you to grow. It keeps you in your comfort zone. You won’t learn new skills if you don’t put yourself out there. You can start slow with something like volunteering for an extra committee where you can develop skills like networking, communication, and organization. With practice, you might just lead the committee one day.

See the Big Picture

Learning to look ahead and to anticipate problems before they become an issue is important when it comes to leadership. Seeing the big picture is a skill that can be developed. Take our above committee example. As a member of the committee, you could volunteer to lead a projective initiative. This may feel daunting at first, especially if you are an introvert, however this type of experience will help you to hone your skills in areas such as delegation, prioritizing, and communication.

Embrace Learning

Good leaders never feel they know all there is to know, and they’re not afraid to admit when they don’t know something. They also strive to learn all that they can. Engaging in education keeps you in-the-know within your field. It also maintains your cognitive acuity and sharpness. Encouraging a culture of learning within your team is also something that will benefit you and those you lead. Learning is a great way to practice leadership skills. Read up on best practices, see what others are doing as leaders, and discover ways to enhance your own leadership development.

Follow Others

Along these lines, it’s important to remember that there will always be people who know more than you and who can contribute useful ideas. The best leaders also know when to follow. Practice listening to people on your team, even those who are your subordinates. Take their insight seriously and make them feel valued. Always provide recognition when someone has contributed to the success of a project. Acknowledging others takes nothing away from your position. Great leaders know how to also be good followers.

These are just a few of the ways you can practice your leadership skills at work or at home. The more you put yourself in situations that put these competencies to work, the better a leader you’ll become. Practice truly does make perfect.

But becoming a leader can seem intimidating, especially to the highly sensitive women among us. We’ve already discussed the various internal objections you may have that can hold you back. Another reason some people avoid taking initiative toward becoming a leader is because they don’t believe they have the opportunity. I’ve already talked about why it’s so important to practice these skills, but you might wonder how you can do that when you don’t hold a leadership position? It’s actually much easier than you think. Read on to discover how to practice your leadership skills even when you may not currently have a leadership position.

Get Involved in a Cause

What are you passionate about? Most of us have something that sets our soul on fire and that’s probably what you’re doing here, looking for ways to improve your passion that you’ve turned into a business. However I’m confident you’re also passionate about other causes or activites. Choose one of them and look for ways to get involved in promoting it. If it’s a social cause, find groups to join like political campaigns or activist organizations. If you want people to know about your hobby or to connect with others who love it, there are most certainly clubs you can join within your community. There are usually ways to contribute to the leadership of such groups at every level. Learning leadership skills in these less formal environments can be a great way of gaining confidence and experience.

Plan an Event

A nice way to get your feet wet when it comes to gaining leadership skills is to plan an event, this can be so much fun that you’ll forget you’re practicing your leadership skills. This can be a small personal activity like a child’s graduation celebration or a colleague’s retirement party. It could also be something larger in scale such as a neighborhood block party or community rally. No matter what the event, you’ll gain valuable skills. People are always looking for folks to volunteer for such positions.

Do Your Own Thing

If you don’t care to get involved in something that’s already out there or you can’t find the kind of thing you’re looking for, you could always start your own venture. You probably already have a business, so why not build a movement, or start a club that can provide you an outlet for your interests. In addition, it will be an activity you enjoy and there’s nothing quite like starting something from scratch to gain a broad spectrum of leadership skills.

Volunteer

We’ve already touched on the benefits of volunteering in past posts, but it truly is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to learn how to be a good leader. You can volunteer for a club, committee, organization, or even contribute your time as a paid intern. There’s always opportunity in such settings to exhibit your leadership potential.

Travel

A rather unconventional way to gain new skills as a leader is to travel. Putting yourself in new environments involves all kinds of learning and navigating unfamiliar domains. This is especially true in places abroad where English isn’t the native language. You’ll need to take initiative, plan itineraries, set up lodging, and organize schedules if you have travel companions.

Hopefully, these ideas will get you started or help you brainstorm some other ways you might find to practice your leadership skills so that your light working business will thrive, you’ll shine as a Vibrant Holistic Visionary and gain confidence in new areas of your life. You don’t have to wait until you get a leadership position to be a leader. Find your own opportunities and getting that future position will be easier.