Few people would argue that leadership is something that is needed in every aspect of public life.  For some people, the important concepts of leadership can often be difficult to grasp. Perhaps it is a lack of mentoring or modeling that causes hesitancy in people to act in a leadership capacity.  Another problem could be simply not having the understanding of what is expected of a leader in business or organizations.  Here are seven key concepts every effective leader must capture to be most influential. 

1. Effective behavior: As stated above a lack of role models acting in a leadership role in communities, business and organizations is a problem for many people. A leader is willing to behave in a manner that exemplifies the values purported by the mission statement of the organization. This behavior should be consistent over time and promote high ethical standards for others in the organization to model. 

2. Stand for Something. A leader makes his or her choices obvious to those around them.  That is, the leader stands for something.  The old saying is that if you don’t stand for something, you fall for anything.  By standing for choices with a solid foundation, a leader demonstrates how to maintain standards and how to come to a good decision. 

3. Works With Others.  A leader must be able to work with everyone including the person with the worse personality or the person that never speaks up in a meeting.  Leaders lead so others are inspired to be better.  Without the ability to get along with others, organizational goals will be hindered.  A leader gets past petty surface issues and deals with people at all levels in ways that bring about, and maintain, harmony. 

4. Unites others.  Not only do leaders work well with other but they inspire others to work well with each other. Leaders have the ability to unite colleagues around a common vision.  That means having the ability to communicate so diverse listening audiences understand what the future of an organization will look like and have the desire to be a part of that future by uniting their talents with others. 

5. Influences Stakeholders. Organization stakeholders are people that have some type of vested interest in the success of an organization.  An effective leader is responsible to ensure that stakeholders understand the operating direction of the organization and they are supportive of the activities within the organization.  That means sharing the vision, mission, goals and priorities with the stakeholders so they can be a part of the organizations movement.   

6. Stays Committed. A leader grows in levels of trust and respect by those they influence by being committed to stated goals, no matter the cost. This commitment is to organization goals, to the people the leader leads, to getting through difficulties, and from not backing down from challenges.  Leaders are not blame-throwers.  When something goes wrong they are willing to face the difficulties and shoulder the blame as needed while working continually to find a solution to the problem. By being committed, the leader inspires commitment from others. 

7.  Futurists.  Leaders are the ultimate futurists. Never satisfied to stay in the status quo, the leader can see a better future then makes strategic plans to reach it with the backing of loyal followers. A leader is not complacent.  They capture an innate creativity that lets them form plans to move forward, never being totally satisfied with a situation at hand while a problem still exists. 

While these seven practices are not all encompassing to leadership, they provide a good frame for what to expect of a leader.  If you are a leader in your organization or business, expect to be a life-long learner of people and organizations.  Others will expect you to boldly take a stand so they can feel confident to follow where you lead.

Organization leaders have to change with the times in order to effectively lead a company.  Identifying and getting information on some vital issues for organization change is not always easy to find. Yet, without this insider information,  leaders can find their confidence remains low when it comes to being able to be a real power broker who gets things done.  Here are several  business related issues organization leaders must learn about in order to build real confidence as a leader. 

Organization Development: Leaders must have the confidence to know how an organization is put together in order to be able to lead all parts of the organization. To simplify this concept, think of an organization like an automobile. You might know that you put gas in the tank when it’s empty, but if you don’t know that you also have to keep the oil clean and fill other fluids your automobile is not going to run correctly. The organization doesn’t run by one unit. Knowing how the organization functions as a whole is true organization development. Many leaders are not clear about this concept and find their companies and organization suffering as a result.    

Organization Growth: Similar to knowing how an organization is developed, a leader needs to have the confidence to properly grow an  organization. Organization growth patterns differ according to the different types of organizations. It’s important to design methods to forecast future needs of your organization or company in order to make right decisions for growth. Leaders without knowledge of how growth affects all aspects of the organization will find that some decisions result in dysfunction instead of increases.   

Systems Concepts: Another concept that few leaders have strong confidence in is really understanding systems concepts. This lack of understanding is easy to see when a leader seems to get hit by what seems like sudden changes in the economy or society that negatively affects their company. While it sounds complex, the basic explanation of systems in organizations is that every organization or group that exists is effected by what goes on around it. Another concept of systems is that whatever you do to one part of the organization will affect the rest of the organization.   

Power Issues: Some organization leaders lack confidence to know how to use power to get things done. Power can be gained through position or by having resources others desire. One resource is your knowledge base and knowledge really is power in organizations.  Having power means being able to reach goals, quicker and easier than those without the power. Gain power by being willing to use your leadership to take on high profile positions. Get your name out and take calculated risks that let you gain visibility.  

Politics in Business: Acting politically takes a lot of confidence. It means knowing when to speak and what to say when you speak. You have to understand change of command and when to approach one person over another in a business. Being politically savvy is important to advance your career as a leader. It’s important to understand business politics and be able to use your skills to influence others in a positive and effective manner.  

Build Networks: Leaders need strong networks of influence makers who can get things done. This is a part of the power and politics of leadership. Knowing people who have power is a key confidence builder for women leaders to use in order to move ahead.  Go to the right gatherings where you can be in the company of people who have contacts and information you need to get your goals met. Be willing to stand out from the crowd and make your mark as a risk taker worth knowing.  

Look the part: Your physical appearance is a visual way to show your confidence as a leader. You have to look like a leader to be considered a leader. That means dressing for the part at all times; and even a trip to the grocery store means dressing to impress. That doesn’t mean a woman in leadership has to wear high heels all of the time but it does mean being well groomed with a style that says “professional.” Take time to create a professional wardrobe that you can count on to take you to any occasion at any time of day.  

Each of the issues presented above can be quite complex in nature. Some can take years to master when you try to do this alone. But taking time to learn important organization issues will build your confidence to be a leader who gets things done in an effective manner. You will feel less intimidated by others, you will move easier in the high powered world of leadership and your self confidence will greatly increase in your role as an organizational leader.

Any business professional can benefit greatly by being a bit more selfish. That might sound pretty odd, so before you click away from this site, let me explain.  As a professional in business, how many times have you stopped to take care of yourself and reaped the results of being more successful?  If you have to think too long about that to get a response, read these seven reasons why being more selfish could be the key to your being more successful in business. 

1. Set Boundaries. Being able to set boundaries about what you will do or not can seem selfish to others.  When people want you to bend to their will by doing things on their time schedule and not yours, setting boundaries can be your only saving grace.  It might seem selfish at first, but you will get more respect and others will soon realize that you can’t be pushed around at will. You will build your self esteem while developing a reputation as a strong business professional. 

2. Meet Your Needs.  Being selfish means thinking about your health before you do so much that you ruin it through overwork, stress, and wrong eating habits.  Besides, if you don’t meet your needs to be healthy, strong and happy, no one else will either. Winning doesn’t happen by letting your needs slip away. Take the time to prepare and eat balanced meals, get exercise and fresh air, and spend time in praying or meditating. This will give you a more balanced life as a result.  

3. Get to the Point. Being selfish in the office means doing everyone a favor by getting to the point in meetings, phone conversations, and even in email contacts.  Getting to the point can mean cutting off needless conversations that keeps you from meeting your schedule.  Getting to the point means not having time to engage in gossip and information you really don’t need to know.  Getting to the point is efficient and business like. You also benefit others by showing them how to get to the point and get on with their business. 

4. Be Real.  When you are selfish, you can be real.  That means you don’t try to always be available for others, no matter what.  You know your limitations.  You understand what you want to do, when you want to do it, and how.  This doesn’t mean you never do anything for others.  But it means that you are honest enough to not get drained by the demands of others want to put on your time, effort and energies.  The more you learn how to relate to people with honesty the more real you will be as a person. 

5. Increase Productivity. Being more selfish with your time means having more time to focus on what you need to get done. Create a to-do list each evening or at the end of the work day.  Then start the next day off by selfishly guarding your time from needless interruptions.  Stay focused on the tasks of your to-do list.  Don’t be surprised that you get more done and probably end up finding extra hours each day for others things. Instead of keeping you alone and isolated, you will find being focused with your time can result in increased productivity leading to more completions of projects and higher productivity in your business. 

6. Find a Day. The last point leads into this one in that as you selfishly take control of your time, you could end up giving yourself the gift of a shorter work week.  It’s possible that you could find as much as a whole day’s worth of time left over at the end of the work week because you were selfish enough to get your work done quicker and with more effectiveness.  That means you get to spend time doing more for yourself or be able to spend more quality time with those you love.  

7. Honor Your Values.  Selfishness means you stay closer to your personal value system. That means you don’t compromise your values by aimlessly spending time and effort in ways you really don’t value. Identify the values that are most important to you.  Is it traveling, spending time with family, reading good books?  How often do you allow yourself to get involved with these activities?  Be selfish enough to honor your values and you will be a happier person. 

Learning to be selfish seems to be an odd thing to promote.  But these seven why you should be more selfish lets you look at the idea from a different angle. Being selfish can actually add value to your time, let you be with those you love more often, give you a healthier lifestyle and let you be more productive in your work life.  Practice being selfish and find that your success as a business professional increases as your life becomes more meaningful.