The secret is out: management books you typically find in the business section of bookstores are junk. Leadership books are no different. Most of them are still talking about whether leadership is an art or a science. Do you really need to spend Php800 to Php1,000 (US$16 to US$20) for the obvious answer? (Leaders are made and are rarely born).

Occasionally, however, good books do come out (Built to Last, Good to Great, Freakonomics, The World is Flat, etc.) and magazines that write about leadership. Fast Company’s (an Internet magazine) list of How to Make Yourself a Better Leader is a perfect example. Here for your reference is the list of Fast Company’s 10 ways to become a better leader:

1. Leaders are both confident and modest. You need a healthy ego to succeed, but leadership is not about making yourself more powerful. It is about making others more powerful.

2. Leaders are authentic. You need to earn the trust and respect of your people. Remember that trust is the end result of a relationship, not an ingredient.

3. Leaders are listeners. Good leaders are fueled by curiosity, and the enemy of curiosity is grandiosity�??thinking you have all the answers.

4. Leaders are good at giving encouragement and are never satisfied. Leaders are always raising the stakes for themselves and their people.

5. Leaders provide direction. This is different from providing answers. Nobody is smart enough to know everything, but smart leaders know how to pose the right questions.

6. Leaders must enable change but stand for values that don’t change. Leaders must constantly evaluate what habits must be changed for the company to prosper.

7. Leaders lead by example. Leaders have a fundamental obligation to live their lives according to the principles they espouse.

8. Leaders don’t blame, they learn. Even the smartest leaders make mistakes. The important mindset is to try, fail, learn, and try again.

9. Leaders look for and network with other leaders. Stop playing the role of the Lone Ranger. Look for allies and remember it is only lonely at the top if you place yourself on a pedestal.

10. Good leaders make more good leaders. The team with the best leaders wins. The ultimate task of a leader is to make more leaders.

Excerpts from the article “Unleashing your leadership potential�? from SME Insight Magazine.