Published on November 16, 2021

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How To Identify and Improve Leadership Skills Within Yourself

• Post author By Rishi Jalan
• Post date November 16, 2021
• No Comments on How To Identify and Improve Leadership Skills Within Yourself

It is said that great leaders are born and not made. While the truth of this adage is certainly debatable, it is definitely true that leadership skills can be identified, inculcated and nurtured.

Leaders have the potential to influence great changes. What a leader says or does has a great impact. Good leaders always respect themselves and others. A great leader always chooses the harder right rather than an easier wrong. They take responsibility for their actions.

Though each leader is unique, successful leaders share a few common traits. These traits can be identified, developed and nurtured to create great leaders.

Initiators.

Great leaders are excellent initiators. They always strive to help others in any way they can. They proactively look for opportunities, volunteer for responsibilities and are a part of the solution.

Demonstrate a desire to do more than what your role includes. Be ready to assist in other domains. Identify issues and try to develop potential solutions.

Critical thinkers. 

Failures are inevitable. But the ability to think rationally, critically and avoid failures or rise from a setback is what sets great leaders apart. Leaders understand failures may happen, but they do not dwell on the mistakes.

Use failure as a learning opportunity and a way to improve your skills. Learn to think critically and use failure as a motivation to succeed.

Listen. Listen. Listen. 

The biggest problem is that people do not listen to understand – they listen to reply. Leaders listen more than they need to speak. This allows them to gain a better insight into the situation and determine if they need more data before making a decision.

The word ‘Listen‘ contains the same letters as the word ‘Silent.’

Motivate.

Successful people build each other up. Encouraging others to succeed is a trait of a good leader. Good leaders give credit where it’s due and avoid taking credit for others’ work.

Good leaders help others feel confident about themselves. Learn to enjoy seeing others succeed. Be a part of a process. Success is all about what you inspire others to do.

Stay Disciplined.

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. Leaders have to remain focused. They have to be able to work in all types of conditions without getting distracted. With self-discipline, anything can be conquered.

Discipline is the key to success. Motivation gets you going, but it is the discipline that keeps you growing.

Keep Learning. 

Learning is a continuous journey. Leaders welcome the chance to learn new skills or ideas. They are constantly on the path of updating and upgrading themselves.

Be willing to learn new things. Learn continually – there’s always one more thing to learn.

Delegate.

Delegating tasks is a vital part of being a leader. Finding the perfect person for the job is a skill that good leaders excel at. Leaders avoid trying to complete every task themselves. They ensure the perfect completion of the job.

If you are good at something, do it. If you are not good at something, find someone who is good at it and get the job done.

Conflict Resolvers.

Leaders work well with others. They have strong interpersonal skills. They effectively sniff out conflicts and snuff them out immediately. A good leader identifies discordant notes and ensures a harmonious working environment.

Play fair, but play tough. Learn to work with others.

Nurture your leadership skills

Leadership development programs help in nurturing and developing leadership skills. They help you develop your strengths and work on your weaknesses. There are various leadership development programs in India that are great places to indulge with qualified professionals. They empower you to reach your full potential.

Lead the change with Harvard YLC Leadership Conference

Youth Lead the Change is a leadership development program created by professors of the Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and the Harvard School of education, and held by Harvard students. Held for students in grades 8 – 12, the program aims at empowering students and unlocking their leadership capabilities as they develop tangible solutions to global problems. Over the 7 day course, the students work in a group to understand a global issue and develop a social change project to address it. Through this program, students learn about core leadership skills such as collaboration, public speaking, time management, and self-knowledge.

The Harvard trainers also hold one-on-one sessions with students who continue to serve as mentors after the program. On finishing the program, there is an opportunity to complete mentorship for an entire year, to implement their project. Presented by The Leadership Institute at Harvard College (LIHC), this Harvard student organization aims to provide and promote leadership development opportunities across the world.

Published on July 23, 2021

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blog Leadership

What Does It Take To Be An Effective Leader?

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date July 23, 2021
• No Comments on What Does It Take To Be An Effective Leader?

Published on May 6, 2021

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blog Leadership

How to Develop Leadership Skills As a Student

• Post author By Rishi Jalan
• Post date May 6, 2021
• No Comments on How to Develop Leadership Skills As a Student

Barack Obama, Narendra Modi, Malala Yousafzai , Elon Musk and countless others who are known for their success in their respective domains have one thing in common, Leadership. These people did not follow the herd rather made a mark by their strong leadership qualities. And you know what? Take a good look at yourself. You, too, have the ability to be a leader. Continue reading to learn how to improve the leadership skills you need.

In today’s highly competitive environment, leadership has become an important 21’st century skill for anyone hoping to succeed. Leadership skills become the benchmark in every industry to seek growth opportunities and succeed.

Here are a few skills an effective leader must possess:

• Time management

• Effective communication

• Goal Setting

• Decision making

• Accountability & Networking

The first step of becoming a young leader starts with school. School or college can be one of the best places to gain the toolkit to bring out change in the world with your fresh perspective and new ideas. In today’s education model, we have multiple Leadership development programs that act as a stepping stone for young kids to get into the right direction and to create a whole new generation of achievers.

Ways to Improve leadership skills as a student:

You, as a student, must be flexible to learn and acquire skills to become the best versions of yourself. Students’ life plays a major role in chalking out what kind of person you will become. Here are a few ways to become the role models you’ve had for yourself.

1. Join a club : Involvement & Effective communication is one of the key aspects of a leader. It helps you indulge with people and make your voice heard even in a group, what it takes to be a changemaker.

2. Become a Learner : As John F. Kennedy once said, “ Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” One who is ready to learn always has more experience and can face any challenge with confidence and determination. Learn wherever you can may be from a teacher, education consultant or a fellow student.

3. Start your passion Project : Your formative years are the perfect time to experiment with your ideas and passion. Leadership for you should start with making mistakes and learning from them. A passion project is something where you can explore your ideas and understand your strengths & weaknesses.

4. Extracurricular Activities: Extracurricular activities give you the opportunity to lead and fuel your desire to stand out. Sports activity or group activities in the class can be a great place to take charge and be innovative.

5. Enrolling in Leadership Development programs: There are various Leadership development programs in India which are great places to indulge with qualified professionals who can help you define a purpose and educate you to reach your full potential. A good education consultant or counsellor can tap into your potential and push you in the right direction.

All of the above pointers can help you learn and upscale your leadership skills. However, choosing the right one can be tricky. The best way to do so is to participate in and try as many activities as possible. That’s why, Big Red Education has joined hands with World’s top universities like Harvard University, Ivy League, Cornell University, and many more, to design leadership programs. Our Youth Lead the Change Program is driven by Harvard Alumni along with 1- Year free mentorship. What are you waiting for then? Are you ready to begin your leadership journey as a leader?

Published on November 21, 2020

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blog Leadership

Leadership and You

• Post author By tbrg
• Post date November 21, 2020
• No Comments on Leadership and You

‘Be the leaders of tomorrow.’

‘Young leaders building a better tomorrow.’

‘Become a leader of the future.’

These kind of lines are thrown around a lot. Everyone has seen them pasted in different places, catering to some insecurity within us. Because who wouldn’t want to be a leader, right? But how do you define a leader?

Most think of a General standing on a battlefield, leading his men out to battle. Or a CEO leading her team of professionals to close a major deal and get featured in the news. Or a sportsman giving an electrifying speech to his demoralised team and leading them to an eventual victory. We all have our own version of what a leader is.

But who leads them? Does anybody lead a leader? Or is it just a single person doing everything on their own?

Well, a true leader leads himself. If leaders want something that they can’t have, they have to lead themselves to that goal. They understand the problem, they realise that the road is tough, they overcome their self-doubt, and they find a way to achieve what they want.

Everyone talks about Malala Yousafzai, as the ideal example of a leader for high school students. They talk about her Nobel prize, how she faced off against the Taliban, how she survived a bullet to the face, and how she gives speeches around the world. Wow, what an amazing life. But let’s go back to the root of her story and understand what made her a ‘leader’. She was simply a girl who wanted to attend school. Her dream was to learn, and there were some who wanted to stop that dream. So she lead herself, to keep doing what she wanted. Irrespective of the consequences. And that is considered true leadership.

People think about leaders only as those people who have followers. Now did that ‘leader’ go and actively find followers? Did he pay them to follow him? No. A true leader lives a life by different ideals and has the courage to do what others don’t. People see this genuineness and also want to learn those same principles.

It’s easy to think of being a famous leader someday, but that someday might be a long way off. What about right now? Do you feel you have the courage to be a leader for yourself right now? If somebody tells you to be a Lawyer but you want to be a Photographer, what would you do?Would you be able to understand their point and explain yours? Would you just give up? ‘Cause that’s not what a leader would do.

Nobody should be telling you to be a Malala or a Greta Thunberg. They didn’t start off wanting to change the world; they just wanted to change small things for themselves. As should you. Be the person you aspire to be, and others will eventually want to learn how you did it. A true leader creates more leaders, not more followers.

But what does it mean to be a leader?

• Courage – Have the courage to go against the crowd.

• Self-reflection – Reflect on what you have done and what you are about to do.

• Self-belief – Believe you can make it to your goal or your dream.

• Empathy – The best leader is the one who is most human and approachable.

• Be genuine – In this social media world, it’s getting harder to be yourself. Find that self.

Don’t try to be a leader for glory or for fame. We mistake leadership with authority. We are so used to people in places of authority shouting at us, that we secretly want it. We see it in our teachers, our seniors, our sporting captains, sometimes our parents. But while authority can always be taken away, leadership comes from within. It is a choice, not a rank. Realise that you’re doing this for yourself. You’re setting the right example for yourself, one step at a time.

So, where should you begin? A Student Leadership development program like Harvard YLC (Youth Lead The Change) is the conference for high schoolers to explore leadership traits. Learn from the experts from Harvard and find your true potential.