When you’re at work are you content to just to stand around waiting for orders? Do you get frustrated because the clock seems to have only moved ten minutes since the last time you looked at it over an hour ago?

It’s a fact of life that most people will adopt a follow-my-leader mentality. They’re not interested in their work or bettering their lives, they just want to do the minimum necessary in order to pick up their wages at the end of the month.

These are the followers. Why would you want to be one of them?

But you’re a leader, aren’t you?

You get frustrated because you see people milling around all day and nothing seems to get accomplished. You feel the desire to make things happen – to be the head and not the tail.

You feel that maybe its time for you to stand up and be counted, to accept that leadership just might be your destiny.

So how do you define a leader?

To be a leader you must be able to influence others to accomplish a goal or objective. You have to get others to follow and trust you.

You must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of any decision and actively seek out a solution.

Being a leader is not about what you make others do. It’s not about power, harassing people or driving them using fear. It’s about who you are, what you know and what you do.

People will only follow you if they see a clear sense of purpose, an idea that you know where you are going. If you don’t know where you’re headed, how can you expect other people to follow you?

Leadership is about encouraging others towards the goal of the organization. It’s getting everyone singing from the same hymn-sheet and helping them see the bigger picture.

Good leaders are always working and studying to improve their natural skills. Without practice, drive and enthusiasm there can be no true development in leadership. This takes a commitment to continually improve in whatever endeavor you choose.

Communication, good judgment and decision-making are vital ingredients of good leadership. Without these you can not be a good leader. It is this judgment, knowledge and technical expertise which you must be able to clearly impart to other people.

It’s about the dog!

You should not claim to know everything and you should not rely on your skills alone. Good leaders are not do-it-all heroes, they use the skills of those around them to the best effect. They know that efficient management is not just about the ‘head’, it’s about the ‘dog’ as a whole.

Being a leader takes commitment and a good deal of work and time, it is not learned overnight. Some people believe that great leaders are born, not made. I do not agree.

While it may indeed be true that some people are born with natural talents it is perfectly possible, with the right attitude and application, for anyone to develop these skills.

So if you have the drive and the desire to be a leader instead of a follower then take your stand and start right now. Leaders do not procrastinate, leaders take action!