While it may be common thinking, leadership is so much more than just joining school councils, organizations, or being assigned as the leader in group works. what most of us fail to realize is that leadership is not limited to these instances. Instead, it is a skill we can practice and develop in our daily lives, even in our smallest actions. 

A leader, by a dictionary-definition, is “anyone who influences others to take effective action”. So, by simple gestures such as encouraging people to take part in an event, you are already practicing your leadership! Here are a few ways on how you can further develop effective leadership skills in everyday life:

1. Identify your weaknesses

Being aware of one’s shortcomings and weaknesses is highly beneficial in creating your identity as a leader. Through this, you are able to pinpoint which aspects of yourself are in need of improvement and how you can use that in empowering yourself and others. Some of your weaknesses may be the strengths of others. Your role as a leader is to be able to identify such strengths and weaknesses and make use of everyone’s differences to contribute to a collective goal. 

This can be done by reflecting on your previous experiences. What specific tasks have you had trouble with? Was there a subject or a hobby that you didn’t get the hang of? You can also ask people you have worked with for their feedback on your work or service. Don’t get discouraged when identifying what you have trouble with; being aware of your weaknesses is actually a strength and even more so when you use it as an advantage in attaining good leadership. 

2. Practice your decision-making 

Every individual makes decisions on a daily basis. According to Libby Gill, a leadership coach, we need to be more intentional in creating decisions. She emphasized the value of being more mindful of the decisions and actions we make in improving our habits as a leader. For instance, one of your friends is pushing you to join an event but you have a multitude of deadlines for tomorrow. In being intentional, ask yourself these questions: “What is my purpose in joining this event?” and “What am I going to gain if I choose to join the event?”. Keep in mind that being intentional with your decisions means that you are doing it out of your priorities and values, not because of obligation. Is your purpose to create more experiences through joining events? Or is it to practice time management to meet your deadlines? Being able to frequently practice good decision-making puts your critical thinking and problem-solving skills to use. With this, you are able to think of appropriate solutions to problems that may arise when handling difficult situations. 

3. Learn to listen

There are times where it is more important to listen more than you speak. Honing one’s listening skills is essential in developing your skills as a leader. It is a fundamental aspect of getting to know your co-leaders and the people you are serving. It gives you an opportunity to hear ideas on what can be done and improved.  Improving your listening skills can start with your personal relationships; it allows us to improve how we receive, process, and relay information. Active listening promotes better communication with our peers and essentially develops better relationships with them. Even simple gestures like listening to your friends talk about their interests, even if it doesn’t align with your own, is one step closer to being a better listener to the people you will be serving in the future. Let us be the leaders who aim to serve the people through actively hearing their concerns and creating action with it in mind. 

4. Create the initiative

Everyone has a cause they believe in or stand for. In developing your leadership skills, knowing your purpose and goals is important in inspiring others. It is important to understand that leadership is not bossing people around or telling others what to do. Instead, your role as a leader is to have the initiative to take the first step. In our context today, this can be shown when we remind our friends and classmates of upcoming deadlines for our subjects. While this may be a basic example, it essentially inspires others to meet the deadlines because you took initiative to remind them.  Even if that step may be little, as long as you are able to inspire others to move forward as well, you all will eventually come towards fulfilling your own purposes. 

The whole concept of leadership can be quite intimidating for everyone because of all the responsibilities that it brings with. Nevertheless, all we need to do is to take that first little step. Every day is a chance for us to improve ourselves in our skills and practices of serving others. Developing yourself as a leader is a never-ending process. As we encounter situations like decision-making and problem-solving, we gain new experiences that constantly inspire us to grow as leaders. 

Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/40552877/4-ways-to-develop-leadership-skills-in-your-everyday-life
https://uccs.edu/staff/sites/staff/files/inline-files/Leadership%20in%20Everyday%20Life.pdf
http://www.francisbriers.com/blog/2014/1/19/10-ways-to-be-a-leader-in-daily-life.html

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 Danielle Liwanag