Steps to Becoming a Better Leader

Highlight yourself
Put yourself forward and highlight your activities in front of your seniors. This way you will get noticed faster. Concentrate on your work and always try to finish your work before time.

Take responsibility
You want to be a leader at work, learn to take responsibility for anything that has your fingerprint on it. That means, as long as you participate in the project, you have a hand at the failure of the project. Learn to take responsibility for not just the good things, but even bad ones. Admit to your mistakes - it's okay to be wrong. You cannot learn if you have not made any mistakes.

Bring out the best
When you look at an employee, don't focus on what he can't do or what others say about him. Look at he can do and what he could do. Most times, they are capabilities that he didn't realize he had.

Listen and communicate effectively
Another important characteristic of transformational leadership involves a focus on providing one-on-one communication with group members. Good leaders should express sincere care and concern for the members of their group both verbally and nonverbally.

Appreciate your juniors
Appreciate your junior staff members. If you don't appreciate them, they won't be in your favor. Surveys have shown that if a senior member understands and appreciates his/her juniors, he/she is more likely to become the leader of that team as compared to the one who doesn't appreciate the same junior staff at all. You would be chosen and selected as the finest leader if you keep appreciating and encouraging your subordinates. They will eventually consider you as their leader even before you become one.

Keep trying new things
As you work toward honing your leadership skills, don't forget to look to your followers for feedback an inspiration. Pay attention to the things that have been effective in the past and always be on the lookout for new ways to inspire, motivate and reward group members.