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Thank God!

Is

Not

A Title!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

No one reports you! No one say Sir to you! You are not manager too!

Good news is, leader isn’t a title, it’s a group of characteristics, and you can acquire them, even if you’re not the boss.

Here are 10 ideas:

ommunicate Clearly

Leaders don’t grumble behind closed doors when things don’t go their way. They don’t

say yes when they should have said no. They say what they mean and do so in a way that

people understand. This is not advocating rudeness, but it is advocating dropping passive-aggressive behavior.

earn Flexibility

There’s rarely a “right” way to do something. If you are going to insist that things be done a certain way,

you’re headed down the micromanager path, and that’s not what leadership is about.

Ask yourself, “Is this the wrong way to do it, or is it just a different way?”

on’t Be a Doormat

Leaders stand up for themselves, politely. Jerks stand up for themselves rudely. If somebody

interrupts you in a meeting, simply say, “I’m sorry, can I finish?” If your slimy co-worker tries to dump her work on you say,

“That won’t be possible.” Does this mean you never do a favor? Absolutely not. You do favors, but you do so because you

are nice or because it benefits you and the company, not because you can’t say no.

elp Others

Leaders bring others along with them and share credit for work well done. Leaders don’t look for opportunities

to step on others, but rather look for opportunities to help others succeed.

Remember, a leader is someone who demonstrates desirable characteristics.

ake Responsibility for Your Mistakes

We all make mistakes. Own your mistakes. When someone points out an error,

don’t start throwing blame, simply say, “Thanks for letting me know. Let me fix that.”

Additionally, when things start going south, ask for help rather than panicking and trying to fix everything on your own.

That usually makes it worse.

isten to Others’ Ideas

You may be bursting with ideas and can’t wait until it’s your turn on the stage, but take time to

listen to others. Other people have great ideas as well, and a true leader acknowledges that good things can come from many sources.

Don’t cut people off. Do solicit ideas. You may be surprised at what you learn.

ake Risks

Lots of times, people think leaders have led charmed lives where everything went well.

This is rarely the case. Failure is an integral part of success. When you can acknowledge

that the risks are real but the potential payoff is enough to counteract that, you’re demonstrating leadership.

If you jump blindly, that’s stupid. But if you evaluate the situation and

take the risk anyway, that’s leadership.

emember to Network

Networking isn’t just about finding jobs, it’s about connecting

with people. As you learn how to interact with people, you’ll learn which interactions are effective and which are

ineffective. As you help others with their career, you’re demonstrating your ability to lead and guide.

evelop a Thick Skin

Illegal and immoral discrimination happens. Accept that it does now, and just determine not to let terrible people get

you down. The business world is not the university, and the HR department are not counselors. If someone treats you

poorly, don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that it was based on some immutable characteristic.

Instead, evaluate if what they said or did was justified. If it was, change your behavior. If it wasn’t,

don’t let it bother you. Now, in an egregious situation, absolutely report it, but let most things roll off your back.

on’t Ask for Special Treatment

All that stuff you learned about being inherently special? False. You’re not. I’m not. No one is.

So stop asking for special treatment and exceptions to rules. Now, can you become special by

working harder and smarter than everyone else? You’ll get special treatment when you deserve it.

That isn’t to say you can’t ask for a raise or a promotion for extra behavior.

That’s not special treatment—that’s something you earn by being awesome.

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You are a …