DIVE.

If you're like me, you know leadership can be confusing. There are so many different styles of leadership. So many different attributes of great leaders, so many different mixtures of those attributes that can lead to great leaders, then some leaders perform great in some settings and not in others, and quite frankly, it's confusing! So, if you're looking to grow your leadership abilities and are unsure where to start, here are 4 steps to help you DIVE in.

Develop: One of the most important things that great leaders do is develop themselves. They are constantly reading, networking, and thinking, all with the goal to learn, and through learning, develop. Development is intentional; you're either developing or you aren't. Great leaders don't see development as something to attain but rather a tail to chase. You're never "fully developed" and if you see yourself as such, then consider it game over. Because development is intentional, it's critical that you're making consistent effort to develop. What are you reading? Is your network growing? Where are your thoughts leading you? Are you learning something new each day?

Inspire: Great leaders inspire others because they themselves are developing well. Developing people tend to be motivated to do so, and through that motivation they become naturally inspirational. Others see them and say, "I want what he/she has." People want to have a pulling force in them that drives them to great things, and when they see it in someone else it becomes that much more real to them. i.e., it's inspiring to them. This inspiration is what kickstarts a driving force in the lives of others that makes them want to DIVE into leadership. (If you know someone you've inspired *you'll be able to tell* share this blog with them. They'll thank you.) The best leaders influence others to become great leaders, and that starts with inspiring them to lead.

Value: Whether you see it or not, the ability to inspire others is a reward of self-development, and an extremely valuable one at that. I cannot stress this enough: VALUE IT. If you don't value the gift/reward of and inspiring influence, there's a good chance you'll find yourself unfulfilled in leadership and someday be left wondering where it all went wrong. Especially as servant leaders, we VALUE the growing relationships, not the material benefits. The people are at the center of our mission. If you don't understand this concept, the "About the Blog" section on the About page on this website - click here - explains it in full detail. (SERVE. LEAD. GROW.) The mindset is that the people promoted us to this position, so even here we will serve them to the best of our abilities and VALUE the gift of inspiring influence.

Encourage: Some of the best leaders I have met (and I've had the privilege of meeting a lot of good ones) would describe their job as being the "Organizational Cheerleader." Sure they have work that needs done and meetings to attend to make a long list short, but at the very core of their work, they encourage. If you are incapable of sincere encouragement, then you will likely find it very difficult to lead a team of people. Leaders bring out the best in others, and encouraging them to press on does just that.

Develop yourself, Inspire others, Value others, and Encourage others.

While these steps seem too simple to "win" at leadership, it's because 1) they are, and 2) we don't "win" at leadership, it's constantly developing. However, when looking to grow in your leadership, the best way to start is to DIVE in.