“If your action inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams. It is no longer sufficient if you are just a tech-savvy individual because most tasks are now structured around teams. It is no longer adequate to work long hours and hope for your boss to notice your sincerity. Whether you’re a working professional who strives to obtain a job promotion or a student participating in group projects, you will find that leadership skills play a huge role in your success. This X-factor decides the difference between you and any other soul willing to slave more hours than you. “Leadership has become an indispensable skill that is greatly appreciated and respected in every single industry.” Most believe that you need to be an inborn leader.  Sure, some are born with that incredible charisma to lead, but does that mean confidence and beliefs cannot be changed or obtained? There is a leader within you, your neighbour, your gardener and your mother! It’s in everyone. But how many choose to hone it is the real question here? Before you can make a difference to the people in your life first, you need to choose to take a look inwards, to understand that leadership is a skill that can be acquired and improved upon. Steve Jobs, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi are examples of extraordinary and trasformational leaders who have touched the lives of many. All of them came from humble backgrounds, but they constantly pursued to improve themselves and overcome hurdles. Ready to Take This Course? Okay, now let me introduce you to a great course suitable for aspiring as well as experienced leaders offered by the content providers for STREET SMART UNIVERSITY. Practical Lessons in Leadership The short clips in this course will walk you through typical work scenarios where you can understand and learn to employ leadership techniques. Through this 22 video course, you will receive precious nuggets of advice on how to become a leader in your own right. Armed with these practical skills, you can now thrive in your organisation and make a positive difference! You can be a leader, and the time to take action is NOW! Other Interesting Courses for Your Purview: “A leader is someone who demonstrates what’s possible.” Leadership Skills Mastery Moving From A Cubicle To A Corner Office Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links Courses are promoted based on authenticity and user review Personally I have been benefited by udemy courses on accounting, leadership  and entrepreneurship Benefit obtained by the readers always is the focus and top priority of...

What is Leadership The one who quickly diagnoses a problem, shoulders personal responsibility and makes the right decision can be called a true leader. He need not be rich, need not hold a big office, need not be numero uno – as simple as that. Understanding other people well is also a core leadership quality. If a person is late to work, a leader tries to unearth the cause of the problem; rather than looking for the worst in people they look for what’s best within them. Entrepreneurs have a set of leadership skills that make them a little different from every other worker bee. They choose to walk down the road less traveled by breaking away from corporate protocol and venturing out on their own, bucking trends and at times, even breaking the rules. “Success is actually a creative pursuit and a reflection of healthy self-esteem.” What will you do to be the leader that you are destined to be, today? Thinking outside the box and forging your own path requires agility. Being an agile leader refers to remaining flexible, growing from your own mistakes and rising above the wide array of challenges you face. “If you call a stumbling block a “problem” or a “big mess” you will create a different emotional state within you than if you call the issue “an opportunity” or a “challenege that will make me better.” “The most successful human beings are wildly focused. They have a very clear picture of what it is they want to create by the time they reach the end of their lives and then they have the discipline (and courage) to stick to their mission – saying “no” to everything that is not mission critical. Who made Success a Bad Word? “Too many people believe that playing their best game as a human being requires them to revolutionize their lives. And for most of us, that’s a scary thought.” We humans love to play within our comfort zones. Making changes to the way we think, feel and behave is next to impossible for us. What people fail to realize is that changes are to be welcomed because they are chances to improve our life quality. If you don’t adapt or go with the flow, you will definitely feel the heat when priorities start pushing you to the brink. “The best way to get to your greatness is through small, continuous steps-what I call the “1% Wins”. Agile leaders have a set of shared characteristics: being extroverted, taking charge and challenging the status quo. Basically, it’s people who have been described as “difficult to manage.” Being difficult doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It just means that certain people have their own way of doing things and are able to generate new ideas because they possess the ability to view issues from multiple angles. Simplify Then Focus Simplifying life and stripping away all that is unimportant can help you to achieve your dreams. Once you do your clean up, focus, focus, focus. You’ll be surprised how good you will then get at being great. “The best way to create spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice.” “People who have achieved great success are not necessarily more skillful or intelligent than others. What separates them is their burning desire and thirst for knowledge. The more one knows, the more one achieves.” ~ Robin Sharma Curated from The 4 Abilities Required of Agile Leaders and Little Black Book for Stunning Success by Robin...

All-time Quotes by Abdul Kalam The crux of his life in his very own words: “My story—the story of the son of Jainulabdeen, who lived for over a hundred years on Mosque Street in Rameswaram island and died there; the story of a lad who sold newspapers to help his brother; The story of a pupil reared by Sivasubramania Iyer and Iyadurai Solomon; the story of a student taught by teachers like Pandalai; the story of an engineer spotted by MGK Menon and groomed by the legendary Prof. Sarabhai; The story of a scientist tested by failures and setbacks; the story of a leader supported by a large team of brilliant and dedicated professionals. This story will end with me, for I have no belongings in the worldly sense. I have acquired nothing, built nothing, possess nothing—no family, sons, daughters.” Some very unique and inspiring quotes by the great man: 1. “All birds find shelter during a rain . But Eagles avoid rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common ,but attitude make the difference . 2. “Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity. 3. “Anyone who converts a challenge into an opportunity through innovation creates wealth. He or she indeed is a leader, are you? 4. “Yesterday leaders commanded the control (yesterday they were commanders, the leaders). Today, leaders empower and coach, that means potential leaders will be empowered to the exposure of needs of sustainable development, what we need today. 5. “For success in all missions, it is essential to have creative leaders in our country or anywhere else. Creative leadership means exercising the vision to change the traditional role from the commander to the coach. 6. “What is Success? When your signature changes to ‘Autograph’. 7. “Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide! 8. “Man needs difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success. 9. “Don’t read success stories you will get only messages, read failure stories you will get some ideas to get success. 10. “Dreams are not what you see in your sleep, dreams are what which doesn’t let you sleep. 11. “You have to dream before your dreams can come true. 12. “To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. Also “If you get No as an answer, remember N.O. means “Next Opportunity”. So Let’s be positive. 13. “If you salute your duty, you have no need to salute anybody, But- If you pollute your duty, you have to salute everybody. 14. “I am not a handsome guy, But ‘ I can give my hand-to-some one who needs help. Beauty is in the heart Not in the face. 15. “Never rest after your  first victory, because many lips are waiting to say that your first victory was just luck. 16. “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. 17. “It is very easy to defeat someone, but it is very hard to win someone. 18. “Suffering is the essence of success. 19. “Dream, Dream Dream Dreams transform into thoughts And thoughts result in action. 20. “My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that they must work...

My take on a leader:  L – Lead by Example E – Empower People A – Aspire D – Dare Devil Driver E – Empathy R – Responsible...

Top Ten Tips for First Time Managers Everybody wants to become a leader. You may vie for it, I might die for it; but in reality not everybody can make a good leader. Leadership does seek persons who are unique in their own way. One unique element which I’ve noticed in managers or leaders is that when they enter the work place, they bring along with them a kind of aura that has the power to make others submissive and polite. Not to say they are over-powering but definitely the sub-ordinates would love to greet their heads with such vigor so as to be in their good books combined with a sense of loyalty laced with respect. This session talks about “First Time Managers” who have reached the position by chance or choice and the etiquettes needed to be bestowed upon that position. 1. Learning is Eternal: “கற்றது கைமண் அளவு, கல்லாதது உலகளவு –This quote by the famous Tamil lady poet Avvaiyar who lived in 13th century reminds you “What you have learned is a mere handful; what you haven’t learned is the size of the world” and exhibited at NASA. It can also be written as “Known is a drop, unknown is an Ocean.” See how appropriate she is in indicating the finer points in our lives- just because you are a team leader or a manager does not mean that you are near perfect. You may be lacking the self-confidence to lead a team or you might be falling short in communicating clearly with the team down the line. It is always better to play along with the team, understand their psychology and at the same time exercise your rights at the right spots. You will stand to gain so much by being flexible and empathetic. 2. Communication is the Key: Here I want to take the help of the ManagementGuru Peter Drucker who prescribed the medicine for better management which is “Management by Objectives.” Keep your team fully informed of project goals, priorities, and all-important deadlines and also involve them to set short term goals. A periodical review of the goals and results would put them in place and make your work easy. Effective communication makes you trust worthy in the eyes of your team, also provides clear direction and a sense of belongingness. 3. Inspire your Team: Passion is one element that is infectious and the other being smile. If you are passionate and sincere in your work, the enthusiasm flows like honey on ice-cream all over the workplace. A good manager creates that “Feel-Good-Factor’ whenever he is around. It is his confidence, emotional stability, communication and determination that gets carried on facilitating effective accomplishment of the enterprise goals. An infographic from AN ETHICAL ISLAND– A great guide for leaders and managers…   4. Be a Friend: Efficient managers understand the pulse of work-force just from their body language and communicating styles. It becomes difficult sometimes to read between the lines when employees are hard nuts to crack and would not explicitly convey or talk about important issues that are bothering them. This may be due to fear, anxiety or peer pressure.  These are the times when a manager has to behave like a friend in listening to them patiently to understand the crux of the problem so as to find a suitable solution. 5. Spontaneous appreciation and Mild Criticism: Think about the happiness you derive when somebody appreciates you for a good effort or achievement. The same applies to your team also, right! Appreciation for the sake of appreciating will fetch you only negative results, it has to be spontaneous. Even a mild nod of approval, a...