Personal Leadership to Pull Your Socks Up

*Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post contains an affiliate link that at no additional cost to you. If you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission now let’s break down the definition of leader and leadership.

Definition of Leader:

A leader is an individual who clearly vocalizes then manifests goals, missions and visions that allows others to participate and share in the task completing process.

Definition of Leadership:

Leadership is the mindset, personification and channeled energy of a vision. The leaders inclusive state of mind acts on gathering the spirits of diverse individuals to collaborate joint efforts as a team.

In order to lead successfully, there are ten key traits that an optimal leader should possess within their characteristic which are:

1) Humility

Often a very overlooked but essential quality to possess as a leader. It is essential that you tap into your own humanness to remain humble.

You achieve humility as a leader by using high self-awareness and admission if you don’t know about a topic. Genuine connections and trustworthiness are easily formed with others because you can put yourself in their shoes and relate to their thoughts and feelings as a fellow human being.

2) Clear Communication

There can be so much noise that is created when trying to communicate an idea, a subject, a goal, or a vision.

Quality communication rids itself of filler word such as: um, like, I guess, well, ah, you know. A leader’s information sounds more confident and sophisticated when it is concise with all important factors briefly included.

A message that is long and lengthy is not an optimal way to communicate because the receiver gets slowed down by the filler words.

3) Creative Problem Solving

Leadership excels when its leader has the ability to come up with more creative solutions to solve the problems that arise in life. The key to reaching a long-term solution as a strong leader is to use the collaboration method when problem solving to meet the needs of all involved members/parties.

Head to my post " creatively resolve your conflict" for more information on the best methods to use when resolving conflicts that arise in life"

4) Self- Confidence

The more obvious trait that we associate with a leader is their high level of confidence. What insecurity? They make no room for lasting self-doubt and pessimism; those are just passing thoughts.

Leaders role-model a healthy dose of confidence within themselves to convince their followers that their abilities, intelligence, decisions and actions are the right way.

5) Active Listener

Actively listening to the needs of another human being is the difference between average leadership versus an outstanding one.

This is a soft skill that builds authentic connections with those on your team because there is healthy two-way communication embedded into the relationship. Your followers are more likely to share their genuine ideas and provide honest feedback.

6) Drive

Their enjoyment of efficiency prompts their high effort behaviours. It’s very common to see a focus of achievement, maximum energy, and strong initiative being exerted while participating in activities.

This trait is the kindling to their fire of success. Your drive is an internal characteristic that stems from your “why”. The “why” is the motivation to keep moving forward through the flaws and all of situations, regardless of their outcomes.

7) Empathic

The fastest way for a leader to build genuine personal rapport with their team is by being interested in knowing about the lives of those around you.

Humbled leaders are curious and will care about those they work closely with. An emphatic leader will ask teammates about their lives, life difficulties, goals/dreams and family. These conversational opportunities open up the possibility of establishing deeper personal connections.

8) Accountability

An optimal leader is unafraid of showing vulnerability and will strategically demonstrate the ability to take responsibility and open up as a real-time learning opportunity which inspires others to do the same.

For example: I started a a few other websites dating as far back as 2009. The very first concept was a financial planning and investing platform for youth but I never went through with the idea. In May of 2019 I secured a domain using

https://www.bluehost.com/track/articulatetee and took control of my life by holding myself accountable for why I was feeling incomplete and unfulfilled as a human being and educated professional.

I had to be vulnerable and step into the unknown of this business venture knowing my intention is to help others manifest a better life for themselves.

I hold myself accountable daily to produce and deliver high end content for individuals coming from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds and marginalized groups.

9) Strategic Thinking

Simply put, strategic thinking is the skill and ability to plan for the future. Optimal leaders demonstrate coolness while preparing strategies and creating ideas to navigate challenging situations.

This skill is forever evolving and the keener you will become at seeking out great options quickly and still meet the future needs of your team/audience.

Mind mapping is a great exercise used to visually plan and organize information, while showing relationships amongst the groups. This strategy is helpful to aid in your strategic planning as you are thinking.

10) Inspiring

They have an overwhelmingly strong urge to use their knowledge, skills, abilities and other competencies to influence and lead others.

They walk into a room and everyone stops to hear what they are saying because their visions are rooted in a deep sense of purpose, and a responsibility to make the world more positive place to live.

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- Articulate Tee