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Rather than drawing out a long wordy essay on being an effective leader, this is going to be a short checklist of things a top leaders does and is. The fact is, leadership is an ability and it will only improve if you use it. So here it goes.

1) Lead by example. Everyone has heard the phrase do as I say, not as I do. Well for an effective leader it is "do as I do." Show them how to do everything by being the best at everything.

2) Be there everyday. Even the days that you do not want to be there, you have to be there. Sick, tired, emotionally drained, so are the people you are leading, so show them. You have to be there mentally every day as well as physically. If you aren't there mentally, you may as well have not shown up at all. Be on time as well, if you don't show up on time, neither will the people you lead.

3) Work hard. There was research done on the subject of success. It took millions of dollars and a few years and at the end of it all the only thing that separated successful people from unsuccessful people was hard work.

4) Consistency. The idiom is, anything you do great, your people will do good. Anything you do good, your people will do average. If you are average, you don't even want to know what your people are doing. You have to be the best everyday so your people wish to be the best.

5) Build strong relationships with your people. Talk to them, understand who they are. Make your people believe in you. They must believe that you are the person who is going to take them forward, who is going to lead them to achieving that which you are striving for.

6) Create a sense of team. Have competitions within the team or against other teams. Be a part of the team and lead from the front. Meet with the team, do things as a team. The team is the future.

7) Promote goals. Goal setting is very important. Having something to strive for brings out the best in people. Competition will show you who will step up and who will fall back. Setting goals as a team and promoting them as individuals brings the team closer.

8) Go the extra mile. In everything you do, always put your full effort into it. From the top right down to the bottom, always put everything into it what you do. Don't waste any of your time, it is the only thing you cannot get back. Use every second you have.

These are some pointers to help a person on their way to becoming an effective leader, it is by no means a complete guideline. Just remember that even if you are not leading anybody else, you still lead yourself. It is always in your own best interest to be the best leader you can be because you are the best person to rely on to do things for you.

Learn more about this author, Kyle Chalmers.
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