There’s one main goal that all young leaders have in common: progress. They want their brands to make progress. But most of all, they want to make personal progress in the process of being a leader.

The so-called transformational leadership is a model focused on change and growth. The leaders inspire employees to innovate, but they also focus on personal development. They are energetic, passionate, and enthusiastic about their projects, and they work towards expanding their own potential.
But how?
Do you just show up at work and hope progress to occur with each day passing by? If you do your job well, you’ll definitely grow along. However, young leaders should make their own efforts in personal development. If you’re wondering how to be a good leader that inspires people to reach their full potential, you know there’s room for growth. Let’s see what steps forwards you can take.

1.      Educate Yourself
You know a lot about leadership. You’ve studied at college and you completed research papers. But it’s not like you paid attention to everything being said. All students have their bad days, and sometimes the ask:”Can I pay someone to do my homework?” School was mostly about getting that degree on time. Like most normal people, you missed out on some things. It’s time to go back to learning, but this time you’ll do it diligently. If a certain niche wasn’t your strength during college, that’s exactly what you should focus on. That’s how you’ll close a gap and unlock the opportunities for improvement. 
The great thing about Coursera is versatility. You can find courses on different leadership styles. For example, you can start with this one on compassionate leadership.
Take online courses, read books, explore different managerial concepts, and simply learn as much as possible! There’s something about knowledge that most of us didn’t understand while we were students: it’s practical. When you learn about social systems, human psychology, geography, and economics, you’ll use that knowledge to improve your leadership practices. 

2.      Keep Calm
A great leader is not some superhuman being with no emotions whatsoever. On the contrary; a successful leader is empathetic and knows how to show emotion. But they also know how to control it. They can stay calm even in the most stressful of situations.
Look for an experienced, successful and proven servant leadership author to help keep you driven and calm, as you keep developing your talents.
Learn how to do that! It’s something you can practice.

·         When you’re about to switch off and start yelling, you better take a deep breath and count to ten. It’s a cliché, but it works.

·         Notice the triggers that lead to an emotional reaction. When you know what gets you out of balance, you’ll be prepared to put those situations under control when they arise.

·         Do you have a role model with strong emotional intelligence? This may be your mentor or advisor. Observe how they act and manage to stay calm under pressure.

·         Take care of yourself! To become the calm leader you know you can be, you need some self-care practices. Read your favorite genre, eat healthy, exercise, and get your rest at night. You’ll accumulate the positive vibe to keep a level head when you face stressful situations.

3.      Be Goal-Oriented
Great leaders are strategic thinkers. They work towards specific goals and they know what each step forward means. If they have a precise goal to reach 100 useful connections on LinkedIn of Instagram followers this month, they will make effective decision towards that goal. They will send personalized messages, they will get active in LinkedIn groups, they will implement analytics, and they will experiment with different solutions until they find one that works. With these activities, the leader stays up to date with everything going on in their industry. They take a more practical approach to education.

You should develop a vision, so you’ll always be a step ahead. A goal-oriented mindset helps you in the decision making process.

One practical thing that can help you develop such a mindset is chess. Seriously; play chess in your free time and analyze the way you analyze each move. See how you set goals and you work towards them, step by step. You predict the opponent’s moves and you adjust your decisions along the way.

4.      Prove Your Value
As a person, are you valuable enough for people to follow? You can’t just show up to work and expect everyone to be impressed. You have to prove your value, so that your leadership can motivate other people.
You’ll do this if you lead by example.

·         Show up for your team, let them see your part of the work, and walk the walk. Your good work will motivate the entire team to be productive.

·         Make commitments to your team and stay accountable. When you fail to achieve a goal, find a way to repair the damage.

·         Publish content. If you’re ready, you can write a book. If you’re not there yet, you can publish articles on your blog. This shows that you achieved a level of leadership that makes you eligible to teach other people.

5.      Listen More   
Are you a great communicator? Are you spending enough time in one-on-one communication with team members? Great leaders know how to express concern and show encouragement at the right time. They don’t talk too much, but they know how to communicate effectively. Verbal and non-verbal communication is important.
Work on these skills! Most of all, work on listening. When you listen more, the responses will come by intuition.      

Growth Is Never Final
You’ll never reach a point when you can say “Okay; now I finally know how to be a leader.” You’ll continuously get better, but you’ll still have flaws. There’s no perfect leadership style, and there’s definitely not a perfect leader. It’s strange, but that’s a good thing. It means that everyone has the potential to be better.

Young leaders may feel like they have the world at their feet. They are already more successful than most people their age. But success comes with responsibility. Don’t let it dilute your vision for self-development. That’s how you stay good and become better at what you do.  

BIO: Stella Gary is a writer, blogger, and world traveler. Online learning and self-development are her main interests. New adventures, experiences, and friendships - that’s the perfect life that Stella strives for.