How to Become the Leader Who Inspires Others

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams

Many people aspire to become leaders in their various companies and organizations. Various factors drive people to want to become leaders. The common drivers are power and money, as well as being able to tell other people what to do and not having to take direction from others.

Not everyone wants to be a leader and that’s okay. If everyone on the team is the leader, then no one is the leader and true chaos ensues. In every team sport there are positions that require leadership, such as a quarterback calling plays and making split second decisions on behalf of the team.

Some people feel that as a leader, they have to be the smartest person in the room. No one can know more than they do and the only people they want on their team are people who will agree to everything they say or do, without challenging them. This is very common in organizations and it’s guaranteed to be a recipe for failure. The leader can’t know everything and needs to rely on a network of experts. This is particularly true for those who are on the front lines interacting with customers. True leaders should want to surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are in certain aspects so that an array of the best ideas…