Do you want to become a successful leader in the digital age?

If your answer is yes, then you need to focus on self-improvement. Nobody wants to follow a leader who lacks self-confidence. Followers want leaders who are competent.

Leadership is a skill and here are the top 10 leadership tips I learned from business leaders:

1. Have a different vision for the future.

Great leaders are often misunderstood.

Outsiders think they’re crazy. But they love to find great talent. For example, Jeff Bezos’ vision when he created Amazon was an online bookstore. It was a crazy vision in 1995, but it turned out he was correct.

Today, Gen Z prefers to read e-books rather than physical books.

Your vision comes from knowing who you want to help.

2. Respect your team.

If you don’t respect your team, they will quit your company.

Here’s how to prevent them from quitting:

• Pay professionals based on their value.
• Ask quality questions to find out their problems and needs.
• Give them motivation because it will help them make progress.

Great relationships come from spending time with the right friends.

3. Create new ways of thinking.

The best leaders are thought leaders.

They are not afraid of being different. For example, Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker.” Knowledge workers earn with their mind and expertise. Doctors get paid a lot of money because they know how to cure illnesses.

Don’t spend time with losers if you want to achieve your dream.

4. Listen to the problems of your followers.

If you know how to listen, people will find you as an expert.

The best keynote speakers understand the problems of their audience. They are not afraid of criticism. As a beginner, you should realize that critics are part of life. You cannot please everyone so you should focus on being yourself.

Here are the benefits of listening to your target clients:

• You will find out their problems.
• You will understand what motivates them to buy new products.
• You will discover their dreams.

You should listen first if you want to give an accurate answer.

5. Make hard decisions first to save time.

Rich people value their time over money.

They would rather make a wrong decision at first and they will correct it later. You need to decide now if you want to make progress. After deciding what you want in life, focus on making a plan on how to achieve your goals.

People don’t want to follow an incompetent leader.

6. Be a great role model to your team.

Great leaders lead by example.

For example, Jesus taught his disciples the value of being humble. Remember: your followers are watching you. They want to know if they choose a great leader.

Leadership is an act of service.

Here are the questions you should ask yourself if you want to improve your leadership skills:

• Who do I seek to serve?
• What are my strengths?
• Why should my team follow me?

If you set a great example, success will follow you.

7. Focus on gathering constructive criticism from customers.

Constructive criticism is different from hate.

Haters love to say what’s wrong about your product without providing any value. But critics will give you valuable feedback. For example, let’s pretend that you’re an entrepreneur. The best customers will give you valuable and detailed steps on how to improve your product.

Spend your time with people who value what you do.

8. Commit yourself to lifelong learning.

Success comes from working hard and knowing your goals.

If you want to learn new skills, you need to read more books. Your value comes from knowing how to solve painful problems. For example, entrepreneurs earn millions because they know how to create more jobs.

Learning only stops when you’re dead.

9. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

My mentor once told me: Start before you’re ready.

If you avoid mistakes, you won’t know what doesn’t work. But you should know what works and what doesn’t work if you want to become a master. There is no shortcut to success. Overnight success is ten years of hard work.

Here are some examples:

• Mr. Beast uploaded his first YouTube video when he was 12 years old.
• John Grisham was a lawyer for more than 10 years before he started writing novels in his 40’s.
• Warren Buffett bought his first stock when he was 11 years old.

You should embrace pain if you want to grow.

10. Change for yourself, not other people.

It’s impossible to change other people.

You may ask why? It’s because you cannot control them. You can only control yourself. So, focus on identifying your own weakness and make a plan on how to turn it into strengths.

New leaders want change because it gives them a new opportunity.

These opportunities can help them create a new vision, find new team members, and create a new culture. True change happens when you practice a new behavior.