There are some people in this world who are born to be leaders and from a very early age they are able to showcase the skills which are required for this. People like the brilliant business mind Stephen Varanko III, these people just have what it takes. For a lot of the res of us however, leadership is something which has to be worked on over time, and in order to do that we have to be aware of our own areas of development.

This is exactly what it means, to be a leader in both professional and private life.

Putting Others First

Leadership is all about the focus on others, it is about making sure that your team is looked after and cared for, and that means putting them first. People make the comment about there being no ‘i’ in team, but the reality is that it is the leader who has to be the least selfish. This is one of the most important things about leadership.

Being Part of the Team

Although it is absolutely a leader’s job to head up the team, man no mistake about the fact that they also have to be a key part of that team dynamic. Leaders win and lose with the team, and they have to be part of that team in order to understand the inner workings of it and where there is support needed. If a leader simply commands a team they will never really grasp what it means to be inside it.

Forward Thinking

No matter what kind of leader you are, or in which world, it is critical that you are the one looking ahead further than anyone else. It is up to leaders to guide the ship, to take the team onto the future and to plan for both opportunities and potential risks. Whilst it is important to live in the present and to learn from the mistakes of the past, it is equally important to have an eye on the horizon in order to make sure that your team is ready and willing when the time comes.

Spotting Talent

Putting a great team together should very much be part of a leader’s remit, and within that it is critical that they have what it takes to be able to spot talent. Leaders should be the ones who are able to both spot talent which they have in the team and to nurture that talent in the right way so that they can bring those individual on to achieve what they have the ability to. Not all leaders are capable of this, in order to do so they must be in tune with their team, and they must have the eye that is required to identify potential in the members of their team.

This is what it means to be a leader. No matter if you have had to work like crazy for it or if you had it already, this is what it means.