18 Tips To Be a More Successful Young Leader

The entirety of this post is personal insights that I have had as a young leader in the form of tips.

This\r\nis for anyone aspiring to become a young leader or just a more effective one. I\r\nhave also included pointers from close friends who are leaders in their area.

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1.\r\nBe confident, but be careful to not confuse confidence with\r\narrogance.

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To\r\ndo this, you need to fully know what you are talking about. When you do speak,\r\nspeak with conviction.

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2.\r\nLeadership is about vision.

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It’s\r\nabout giving new or original perspectives to things. One who has his own\r\nunderstanding and interpretation of things will distinguish himself from\r\nothers. Thinking for yourself implies not taking anything for a fact. Always\r\nlook for a personal explanation or interpretation. In order to gain that\r\npersonal distance and understanding, one should never rely on others knowledge,\r\nwork or judgment. Felix Winckler, COO and cofounder of Poutsch.

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3. "Inspire others to take action\r\nby showing your own action, commitment and good work for a better world. Make\r\nit easy for people to step in and join forces if they want to help.” Ralien Bekkers, Dutch UN Youth\r\nRepresentative on Sustainable Development.

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4. "Be ambitious and do not be\r\nafraid to take risks.”Jared\r\nCostanzo, president and founder of the Student Voice Project. Do not be afraid\r\nto be idealistic. If you happen to fail, you will recognize your strengths and\r\nlimitations and be better to adapt in the future. Only by knowing your limit\r\ncan you fully maximize your potential. Of course, the scope of your limit will\r\nlessen over time through experience.

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5. Never let someone tell you\r\nthat you cannot do something.If\r\nsomething isn’t out there, go create it.

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6. Be organized.In order to work effectively, you will\r\nneed to be organized. If you are disorganized, you will tend to forget certain\r\nthings.

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7. Be able to articulate your\r\nthoughts and speech thoroughly and efficiently (a.k.a. communication skills).This also includes being able to\r\ndelegate tasks and being clear of your expectations.

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8. Be able to establish your\r\ngoals and commit to your plan.“Sometimes\r\nstructure, deadlines, and plans aren’t the best way to lead.

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At\r\ntimes, it is more effective to go with the flow, take it as it comes and\r\nexplore each new opportunity. But, despite this, you always need to keep in\r\nmind your end game, your objective.” Prasanth Ramakrishna, President and\r\nFounder of Unheard Voices. Kevin Phan, a Commitment Mentor at the Clinton\r\nGlobal Initiative, also advises young people to, “Be patient with your goals.\r\nGo on your own timeline.”

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9. "Make sure your project,\r\ncampaign or endeavor solves a problem and you that have clearly defined what\r\nthe problem is and how you are going to solve it.”Alex Wirth, chair and founder of the\r\nCampaign for a Presidential Youth Council.

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10 .Know the strengths and\r\nweaknesses of yourself and your team. Being a leader does not always\r\nmean that you are the most intelligent or capable person within a group. It\r\njust means that you have an ability to organize people and are able to utilize\r\neach person’s skill set. “Leading isn’t an easy task — not everyone can do it.\r\nI believe if you are truly passionate about the area you are leading in, not\r\nonly will you be a successful leader, but there is no end to what you can do.\r\nNothing material can slow you down, only your passion will drive you.” Jai\r\nKumar Mediratta, Camp Kesem Executive Board of UNL

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11. Be fair.To gain the trust and respect of your\r\nfollowers, you need to be fair. If an opportunity comes up, do not automatically\r\nlook to your close friends or colleagues. Let everyone know and have the same\r\nchance to get whatever it is.

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12. Be clever.If something does not work out, try an\r\nalternative method. If you do not have enough resources for a project, look in\r\nyour community to see if it can be easily donated or lent to you. For instance,\r\nif I need to use a conference room at the University of Nebraska — Lincoln to\r\nhold an event, it will cost around $200 for a day. However, certified student\r\norganizations of the college can reserve one room for free for a specific day.\r\nBeing clever, in this case, means that you go partner with a student\r\norganization and have them reserve a room for you.

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13. Be optimistic.After all, optimism is what is needed\r\nto change the way this world works. “What you expect tends to happen.” Gary\r\nDees, president of Leadership Messenger Academy.

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14. Remember that you are young.Be energetic! Personally, I try not to\r\nact so serious all the time. Recognize that you are still young and embrace all\r\nthat your prime has to offer for you.

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15. Connect! Strive to make a vast\r\nand diverse network of friends and colleagues.You will never know when a person will\r\nbecome handy. I have created a support system through my peers and colleagues.\r\nEveryone benefits from a big network. If you want to network with someone you\r\ndo not know, just introduce yourself through a message and add them anyway.

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16. Know when to give “the talk,”\r\nand do give it when it is necessary.If\r\na member of your team volunteers for a task or have accepted a task delegated\r\nby you, they are making a commitment to execute it. Sometimes there are valid\r\nreasons that prevent a person from completing their duties and in those cases,\r\nyou have to accept it when they happen. I do not hesitate to be frank with\r\nsomeone if I had already made my expectations clear or if their failure to\r\ncomplete a task will (or have) hinder the entire team.

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17. Have a right-hand man (or\r\nwoman).This is a go-to\r\nperson that you trust. My Program Director, Tanvir Faisal, is basically my\r\nother arm. I ask that all inquiries sent to me are cc’ed to him as well. He\r\nwill catch whatever I miss, and at times, advise me on what should be done for\r\nall sorts of things.

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18. "Know when to listen to\r\nothers, and when to listen only to yourself.”

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Mark\r\n& Ismini Svensson, Founders of StayUNITED

Mark & ​​Ismini Svensson