Ever since I discovered personal development, I’ve begun leading people. Not in the traditional sense, though. My leadership occurs naturally through social media which allows me to lead the most amount of people.

Am I an expert? Nope. I’ve learned a thing or two though about leadership from my experience and by being surrounded by incredible leaders.

People think leadership is only for certain types of people or that you have to have experience. Worse yet, that you have to do it as part of your day job. All of this is nothing but labels and outdated concepts. Anyone can be a leader including you amigo.

In fact, let’s make the advice even simpler; anyone can do anything. If you want to lead, go and lead. If you want to be a racing car driver, then go and do it. There’s nothing stopping you, only you! Leadership is a big word in my humble opinion.

It’s one of those words people are scared by because it sounds and looks like you have to do a lot. The reality is you don’t have to do a lot at all. It helps to be able to mirror a good leader although you’ll probably do this automatically so don’t stress.

Leadership is about getting a group of people to follow you in a certain direction. That direction can be negative, like telling them to drink poison with you to wash them of their sins, or it can be positive, like building a movement to change the world. I’d steer you towards option two.

Leaders who are highly effective and outperform all the other wannabe’s do the following:

1. They’re real

I talk a lot about puppets in my blog posts. Highly effective leaders are real and have nothing to hide. They embrace their imperfection and almost celebrate it in a way. Just like the rest of us, they’re as confused and as messed up as we are.

That’s the point. We’re all so similar it’s just that leaders accept that fact and then rally people around the idea. What makes them want to lead people are the struggles they’ve endured and the lessons they’ve learned.

“The best leaders can often come from the darkest of places” – Tim Denning

Information is not power though. It’s the sharing of information that leaders are born from. In my case, I know plenty about the online world and business, and I will share that knowledge with anyone that’s interested. That’s what real leaders do

2. They’re confident without being cocky

The best leaders are confident without being cocky. They back their decisions and are prepared to walk away if need be. They don’t walk away permanently, but for long enough to rebuild and come back fighting.

Ego is the enemy and leaders know it better than anyone. Too much confidence can result in poor decisions. Not enough confidence can make people not resonate with you. It’s that fine balance of confidence that leaders nail every single time. It’s what they’re known for.

3. They’re very curious

Ever seen a leader locked away in an office away from the action? They’re not leaders, their managers or dictators. Leaders embrace open plan environments, and they welcome people towards them. A good leader knows that allowing others in, and being curious about their ideas, is where the next big thing will come from.

Curiosity in entrepreneurs also lies within leaders. It’s about being open-minded so you don’t miss what’s standing right in front of you that could punch you in the face and knock you out. “Pretend leaders” have this happen all the time and then blame others for their misfortune.

4. They continually promote innovation

Nothing lasts forever and highly effective leaders know this better than anyone. That’s why they’re constantly looking to the people they lead to find new ways of doing things. They’re obsessed with doing things better, and they empower their followers to adopt this way of thinking.

Fantastic leaders don’t talk a good game about innovation they demonstrate it through daily action. Rather than talk about innovation to look good, they show it through the ideas, products, outcomes, services, and game-changing results they produce.

“An Innovation mindset is how great leaders change the world every day” – Tim Denning

5. They outsource everything

Leader’s know that they are only one person and can’t do all of the “doing.” That’s why they almost never do anything themselves, and that’s the best decision they’ve made since they became a leader. They concentrate on what they do best which is leading people and getting the best out of them.

6. They never compromise on honesty

This one should apply to everyone, not just leaders. The moment you think it’s okay to be dishonest is the moment all of your success disappears. Phenomenal leaders are overly honest, especially when they screw everything up.

Rather than play the blame game they take responsibility, look you in the eye, and give you confidence that they’ll come back ten times harder. Leaders are winners. Their followers are also winners.

7. They make it not about them

This one’s rare….very rare. World-class leaders don’t make success about them. They shine the spotlight on their team and don’t want any of the glory. They know that if the team get’s the glory, then they’ll get what they’re looking for.

Just like the key to entrepreneurship, leadership is not about you it’s about everyone else.

8. They don’t manage

The moment you have to manage people you’re not a leader. Managing means that your team members have no clue why they’re doing what they’re doing. If this is the case, then it’s 100% your fault. People don’t need to be watched or told what to do when they are highly motivated.

When you have to manage, it means you don’t trust your team. If you don’t trust them, then they will never trust you. If this is how things are in your team, then quit and take a break cause you’re failing. Come back when you learn how the leadership game works and have another read of this article.

9. They know how to inspire

A leader knows that if they only perform one task it is this: they have to inspire their team towards taking action. It’s a leaders job to make you feel like you’re freaking Batman and support you.

It’s a leaders role to give you the wisdom you need to push through the challenges and help you uncover your why for even waking up. The top 1% of leaders know that they have to inspire themselves first before they have any hope of inspiring others.

They know that it’s who we are inside that matters the most and produces what we are on the outside. Leaders know that once we change the way we think, and we let our emotions propel us forward rather than hold us back, that’s when we will become the best in the world.

What have you noticed about highly effective leaders? Let me know on my website timdenning.net or my Facebook.