How Students Can Learn The Art Of Being An Effective Leader

1. Establish your goals to set your direction and keep a check of every goal you’ve achieved or missed; reward or improvise yourself accordingly.
2. Demonstrate discipline by always meeting deadlines. If you’re naturally unorganized then you may start small: like waking up early, setting and following your daily routine and gradually warding off procrastination.
3. Develop situational awareness and proactiveness because that will help you see the bigger picture, anticipate any problems before they occur and allow you time to orchestrate alternative plans.
4. Keep trying to learn new things as it polishes your skills and enriches your mind.
5. Be an astute listener and remain open to ideas, suggestions and feedback. Also understand that effective listening is not only about verbal communication, but also about picking up non-verbal cues like eye contact and body language.
6. Take on more projects in school/college/university and try to lead them. By taking control of these projects, you can identify how to delegate, help associates stay on task and resolve differences that may surface.
7. Engage yourself in volunteering activities like student-run fundraisers or annual events of your institution. This will help you expand your skill set.
8. Being a leader also means you should be able to inspire and motivate others. When a team member needs reassurance or assistance, offer it. And sometimes, all a person needs is someone to hear them out and up their motivation level.
9. Transform “me” to “we” by understanding and acknowledging the fact that a good leader happens only when there is a good team. Program yourself to keep your team’s best interest in mind rather than your own. Being part of team work and projects that require group participation instead of individual will help you in this aspect.
10. Be a people’s person. If you’re not already this, condition yourself to be approachable, open-minded and friendly. If people you collaborate with don’t find you pleasant to communicate or work with, chances are even if you lead them, they will choose not to follow you.

Successful leadership is a skill that can be learned, practiced, and improved upon. And while we tend to notice the more obvious charismatic leaders with the flamboyant and confident personalities, the fact is that anybody, even the quiet kid who barely speaks a word in class, can be a leader. In fact, it is very likely that at some point in their life, everyone will be called upon to lead in some capacity. With this in mind, it is vital that every individual strives for leadership roles during any opportunity that presents itself in their developing years.