10 Tips on Becoming a Business Leader Others Want to Follow

Anyone can follow a leader if they get paid to, but when someone is inspired by their leader, they will continue to follow longer and even go the extra mile for their leader. So how does a leader inspire others and help them feel valued in the workplace? Here are 10 tips to becoming a business leader people want to follow:

1. Be Respectful and Earn Respect 

People want to follow someone they respect. Many great leaders earn the respect of those around them. Respected people are often those who have integrity (do what they say), are kind, and are respectful of others. Even though a leader has a higher position in an organization, if they treat others with respect, they will be respected in return. 

2. Keep a Positive Attitude

There are many forms of communication with a very important one being body language. When you have a positive attitude, your body language tends to be better including making adequate eye contact with others, having a proper posture and exuding a layer of confidence.

Model the type of energy you want to bring to the team. Be supportive, encouraging, and look at challenges as opportunities.

3. Be Passionate

Would you follow a leader who didn’t believe in what they were doing? Make sure to communicate effectively the ways in which you are excited about the process and goals of the company, whatever they may be. Inspire your team to see things the way you see them. This can help establish an emotional connection among the team

4. Value Teamwork and Contributions

You don’t need to do everything yourself, nor should you. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, including yourself. Your team wants to help, and they may have some great ideas that you didn’t think of. Followers like to feel included in the process.

Those in leadership roles should encourage interpersonal communication between all staff members. Encourage your team to help problem solve and give input. You don’t have to act on every idea, but you can thank them for being a part of the process of working for the benefit of all involved.

5. Give Recognition

This may seem obvious, but it is often not utilized as much as it should be. Your workers feel like they are doing a good job, but if they don’t think you see it, they can become discouraged. If people feel valued, they will enjoy what they do, and contribute more.

Make sure to show each person that you value them for specific things. This doesn’t mean you have to thank them every single day for doing their job, but you should praise any improvement you see. You should also always be on the lookout for ways to recognize and reward a job well done. 

6. Be Honest

Give credit for work, admit when you make a mistake, and celebrate when someone does well. Let go of expecting perfectionism in yourself as well as others. Modeling understanding and proper expectations will go a long way. 

As a leader you will need to refine and modify how this happens over time. Create smart goals around honesty by starting with smaller goals and building your way up. Team members will appreciate a gradual process vs something that's too heavy handed to start.

7. Deliver Constructive Feedback

This can be difficult, but team members will benefit from knowing how to improve as long as you give them the resources they need. When you deliver your feedback, keep a positive attitude, and do not make it about them as a person.

Begin by asking questions that will encourage them to talk about problems, and pick your battles. Don’t nit-pick - recognize if this is an issue to discuss or a personal preference on your end. 

In the same vein, overly negative feedback can result in the opposite effect of what you intended. This can be referred to as destructive feedback and is not in line with effective leadership qualities.

8. Create Clear Goals and Expectations

Be specific, direct, and clear. Help others succeed by letting them know exactly what you expect. Keep an open line of communication for others to ask questions and to get clarification regarding your effective goal setting. Never shame them for not understanding, but rather own the possibility that you were not clear to begin with. 

9. Connect With Your Team

A sense of trust and understanding is needed between leaders and followers. Building a personal connection is a great way to facilitate this. Focus on getting to know each person’s personality, their interests, their hobbies, and preferences. Be genuinely interested in them as a person.  

10. Never Stop Learning

In order to encourage personal and professional growth in others, you should be doing the same for yourself. Be open to new ideas, and be curious about your own self-awareness and personal development. 

Not only will developing your leadership skills in this way inspire others to follow you, but you will also be creating a company culture that will be rewarding for all and can produce success in ways you never imagined. While there are many different leadership styles, with focus and commitment, anyone can learn to be a leader others want to follow.

Solomon Advising is a marketing & branding agency focused on helping professional services firms retain their relevance and ensure sustainability by consistently promoting a credible brand. Contact us today to see how we can help improve your brand’s health.