Born To RunWhat Natural LeadersKnow That You Do Not

Take Charge andMake a Difference

Samy Mahfar

Owner of SMA Equities

Samy Mahfar

To be a leader is to bewilling to make the toughdecisions and stand by toface any consequenceshead-on. People will notfollow someone whowould sidestep or shrugoff responsibility. Adversity refines andstrengthens a true leader,which draws followers tohim or her in difficulttimes. Learn to willinglyembrace challenges anduncertainty.

Samy Mahfar

The true work ofleadership iscommunication. Thisincludes the ability todelegate and expressprecisely your needs (orthe needs of your team),as well as the listeningskills to fully comprehendboth what is and is not saidin a conversation. Goodcommunication connectspeople and facilitatesmore efficient andsuccessful productivity.

Samy Mahfar

A great leader neverentertains the impulse tohog the credit. Instead,the good of the groupalways comes first. As aresult, he or she is morethan willing to givesincere praise andrecognize everyone'scontribution to success.They want every teammember to be (and feel)successful, because thatis how they define theirown success.

Samy Mahfar

The best leaders arealways humble. Theposition of authority, tothem, is not just a fancytitle or opportunity to barkorders. Rather, it is achance to guide theirteam to new places andexperiences newsuccesses. A leaderwould never ordersomeone to dosomething he or shewould not be willing todo. They keep the bigpicture in mind, but arenever too good to work.

Samy Mahfar

An excellent and accuratesense of self is a criticalcomponent of emotionalintelligence.Self-awareness allowsgreat leaders tounderstand their ownstrengths andweaknesses - as a result,they are best informed onhow they can mostbenefit the team.Effective strategydemands accurateinformation, so goodleaders need to be ableto know themselves too.

Samy Mahfar

Everyone has heard therule somewhere - "treatother people the way youwould like to be treated."Leaders understand theimportance of not onlytreating their team withrespect, but also of takingthe time to understandtheir needs on anindividual level. They givethe personalizedleadership they wouldlike to receive.

Samy Mahfar

One of the leaders mostimportant - and automatic -functions is to set the tone.An awesome leader isenthusiastic andcommitted, because his orher attitude is was sets thestandard for the rest of theteam to follow. Passion iscontagious, so if youdemand investment fromyour followers, you need tobe willing to demonstrateyour own. Show everyoneyou care, and you will findthey care much more too.

Samy Mahfar

Honesty is important in allaspects of the workplace.If you are sincere ineverything you contribute,you team will accumulateboth trust and respect foryou. Never give anyonefollowing your ordersreason to doubt your oryour motives. Hesitancyor unwillingness tobelieve in leadershipcreates opportunity forinefficiencies andbreakdowns incommunication.

Samy Mahfar

Never try to blamesomeone else. Much likebeing brave in the face ofadversity, a leader alsoneeds to be willing toshoulder the weight of hisor her decisions. Earnyour team's trust byshowing them you arewilling to face the musicand take responsibilitywhen appropriate. Peoplerespect those who cansay or do something andthen stand confidently bytheir actions.

Samy Mahfar

You need the vision tounderstand clearly whereyou are leading yourteam, as well as a fullunderstanding why youare bringing them there.This "big picture" mindsetis what you can use tokeep people invested inworking for a goal largerthan themselves. Holdtightly to your sense ofpurpose so that you canshare and nurture it inothers working with you.