Be a leader. Be a better leader. Lead with confidence. Everyone wants to be considered a leader, and everyone has some influence over another. Whether you think you are or not, you are a leader. You may not have a clear position or title in the workplace, but you have influence whether you like it or now. The real question lies in what you are going to do with that influence. Are you going to accept it and rise up to the challenge? Are you going to be better and a more effective leader? Do you want to excel and earn greater opportunities to lead? Leadership is important and growing in your ability to lead effectively is vital. Hundreds of thousands of books have been written on leadership and more are being written every day. The goal here is not to compete with all of the voices on leadership, but rather to challenge you to take your leadership roles seriously!

Accept Leadership

Leadership is a part of life. Society would be chaotic with authority. Consider the family, the parents are clearly the authority in the home. Family life would be dangerous without an authority structure; children aren't equipped to make most decisions on their own. Without an authority structure within the government, a nation would not succeed. Corporations, nonprofits, and even churches have a leadership structure. Life requires leadership. If you are going to be a successful leader, you must accept your role as a leader.

Understand Your Leadership Role

Determine who you have influence with. Understand the level of leadership you possess. As a parent, you are obviously in a position of leadership over your children. If you are in management at work, you lead employees. As a CEO or corporate president, you clearly possess a significant leadership role. Even as an employee you possess influence with your co-workers. Even without a direct responsibility of authority over another, you are a leader. Understand those leadership roles and the level of authority you possess.

Commit to Grow

Simply recognizing your role as a leader only heightens your awareness of the need. Successful leadership requires effort, time, and a passion to be better. You must define for yourself what it means to be a successful leader, there are numerous definitions available. The simple point of the matter is that you must be committed to grow in your leadership abilities. Determine to be a successful leader. Understand your role better. Read books on leadership. Seek input from others on your successes and failures as a leader. As you see faults, change them.

You are a leader, but you can be a better leader. It will require commitment and energy, and it won't happen overnight. Whether you are content with the leadership roles your currently have or you are desirous of that next big promotion, you have room to grow. Make the commitment to become a better leader today!