{"id":929,"date":"2017-11-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-02T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/nine-ways-to-nurture-your-inner-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T05:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:34:23","slug":"nine-ways-nurture-inner-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-us\/blog\/nine-ways-nurture-inner-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine ways to nurture your inner leader"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPeople & Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tNine ways to nurture your inner leader\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\tKay Dexter<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

You might not consider yourself a natural leader, but, ready or not, as an entrepreneur or small business owner, you need to step into that leadership role. Your ability to effectively guide the direction of your business is critical if you want your business to grow in a competitive business arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are nine quick and dirty (but successful!) suggestions for nurturing your inner leader:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask for feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ditch the idea that you\u2019re going to nail this part of the job out of the gate. No leader gets it right every day, all the time. As you bring on new team members, you\u2019re going to have to think about your company culture. And the basis for that starts with you. Think about what tone you want to set for your team. For your business as a whole. Your leadership style will dictate the results you get from them\u2014and will contribute to the way everyone outside your company sees your brand. Check in with your team from time-to-time to see what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not. Asking for feedback<\/a> helps you pinpoint the parts of your leadership style that might need some fine-tuning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen more<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You need people on your team to support you. Do you know when everyone\u2019s birthday is? Or whether they\u2019ve got something special planned for the weekend? Caring enough about your team to find out about their lives makes you a better leader. Take private notes on your team and key contacts on your project management system, on social media or in a private document so you can keep track of important details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Open your mind to new possibilities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You should embrace continuous improvement as a process and always be open to new ideas and opportunities. The phrase \u201cbut I\u2019ve always done it like that\u201d needs to be banished from your vocabulary. Try listening to a random podcast, taking a new drive home from the gym or asking for new book recommendations from your social media network. Switching things up like this can open you up to new ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look for opportunities to learn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As an entrepreneur, you know how important it is to commit to ongoing learning<\/a> to improve your business. Whether you decide to go through a course through SBA or another small business resource, or just make reading educational business blogs like this one a weekly activity\u2014learning is essential!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know when to delegate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New <\/i>leaders often struggle to ask other people to take on work they think should be their responsibility. However, without mastering the art of delegation<\/a> you\u2019ll end up bogged down in the minutiae of your business and missing out on the big picture. Delegating not only frees up your time to concentrate on business boosting tactics, it also empowers your team, and that\u2019s a fantastically positive leadership technique<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Work with your strengths <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Knowing your strengths is so important\u2014they\u2019re what got you to where you are today, and will get you even further as a leader if you nurture them. Focus on the things you\u2019re amazing at and always strive to put them to good use!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognize your weaknesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the opposite side to working with your strengths is recognizing your weaknesses\u2014and we all have them! Get real about yours and work on those aspects of leadership you find most challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay positive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are always going to be bad days, maybe a big deal fell through or your business is facing a crisis. While it\u2019s natural to have a negative reaction, it\u2019s important that as a leader you try to keep your composure and try to stay positive<\/a> for your team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lead by example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Using \u201cdo as I say, not as I do\u201d as a leadership style is bound for failure, and this doesn\u2019t just mean sticking to your own rules and regulations. There\u2019s an old saying that \u201cmanagers do things right, but leaders do the right thing.\u201d <\/i>Don\u2019t be afraid to take risks, leading your team by doing the right thing. Act as an example!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True leadership is always a learning experience, so keep in mind that great leaders are shaped over time. Following these tips to boost your leadership skills will increase your own confidence as well as strengthening team relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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