How to Start the Leadership Journey?

In my first article on the leadership topic, we’ll talk about how to start the leadership journey.

What is Leadership?

When I had a few years of work experience, I hardly cared about leadership skills (or soft skills). I assumed this was something for the managers and executives in any organization.  Did you or do you also think the same? Do we really need to be a manager to learn leadership skills? Does it even make sense if you are just starting your job?

Of course, this is not the case. Leadership is the ability to lead and influence. And, the first person we get to lead as a leader is ourselves. Once we know how to lead ourselves, we can extend our leadership skills to lead others. In this article, we’ll focus on the part of leading ourselves as the first step to start the leadership journey.

Why Leadership?

Leadership is about taking ownership and accountability. If we want to grow as an individual, we need to take accountability for everything we do. Some of us may argue, we already do that, don’t we? Well, maybe sometimes! 

We pick and choose the things we want to take accountability for, based on the circumstances. If something goes wrong, we hold the circumstances responsible. We expect leaders to handle difficult situations and help others. So, when it comes to our lives, our health, our careers, our family, and our finances, the only leader who can help here is none other than us. This is why, we need to learn leadership skills.

When Is the Right Time to Learn Leadership Skills?

As I mentioned earlier, we are the leaders of our life. It does not matter which stage of our lives or career we are at, we must start developing our leadership skills. We must get out of our comfort zones. We must bid farewell to mediocracy.

So, to cut the long story short, the right time to learn leadership skills is NOW.

How to Start the Leadership Journey?

Leadership is a journey from leading ourselves to leading others. So, the first step towards leadership to is make ourselves better. As Jack Welch rightly said,

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

There is no one solution for acquiring leadership skills. First, let’s start by observing ourselves and making a note of the areas of improvement. Then, let’s experiment with the modes of learning and find out what works the best. We can read books, listen to our favorite leaders, attend sessions/seminars, find a leadership coach, or join a community of like-minded people. 

Some are born leaders, but most of us learn it. What is common in all leaders is that they put in conscious and consistent efforts to improve themselves and then motivate others to do so. 

So, to conclude, dear readers, if you’ve read so far, I’m sure you are serious about learning leadership skills. Don’t wait! Start your leadership journey now!