Leadership is a state of mind. Here are four things to consider that will allow you to reach your full potential as a business leader.

John C. Maxwell, author of “The 12 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” stated that “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” While it can be very difficult to summarize leadership into one basic idea, this quote encapsulates the main premise behind successful leadership. In today’s modern and dynamic world, leadership has evolved and many leaders utilize new and varying approaches to lead their teams and organizations to success. As an aspiring business leader, it is crucial to learn from these leaders to help shape your future and be a successful one yourself.

We have compiled a list of four successful leaders whose leadership style has taken them to new successes.

Set Clear and Achievable Goals

Lisa Haisha, a prominent motivational speaker and coach, sums it up perfectly: “Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader. They set out to make a difference. It’s never about the role – always about the goal.”

Haisha’s point is that great leaders do not try to be great leaders, rather, their actions in setting, pursuing and meeting clearly defined goals – make them great. Leadership means leading by example, and successful leaders recognize that they are merely part of a larger whole. The role is not important; it is what you do with the role that counts.

Leaders are birthed from a desire to affect others and to drive a team to new achievements. An effective way to do this is to set clear goals for both yourself and your team. Establish what your major goal is, and then create smaller ‘signpost’ goals that lead to the final objective. Setting smaller goals eliminates any unnecessary pressures your team may face if they were to only look at the big picture objective. You want to steer clear of pressure or force, and move towards ease and clarity. This will allow you to be a leader your team looks up to.

Lead by Example

“A leader works for those who they lead.” - Martin Rothblatt

It takes a unique leader to lead not one, but two companies to immense success. Martine Rothblatt has done just that: In 1990 she created Sirius Radio and in 1996 she founded United Therapeutics. SiriusXM grew into a US$20 billion company and United Therapeutics developed a drug to treat a rare and deadly disease, saved countless lives, and is worth over US$4 billion today. She accomplished all of this while juggling multiple business projects, pursuing a PhD, and undergoing gender reassignment surgery. Her success is a testament to her leadership as she inspires her team to be the best version of themselves.

As a leader, ensure that you are the truest version of yourself. In doing so, your team will be motivated and inspired by your drive to succeed which in turn will help your project or company to be successful.

Take Up Space and Go After Your Goals

Over the past few years, companies have begun to implement ways to combat gender bias in the workplace. Issues like wage gaps, low representation of women in leadership roles, and gender gaps in technology are being recognized as needing improvement.

Reshma Saujani has spent much of her professional career advocating for these changes in the workplace. After leaving her position as a securities attorney on Wall Street, Reshma founded the international nonprofit organization Girls Who Code with the goal to close the gender gap in technology. Moreover, she has written a book Women Who Don’t Wait in Line, to inspire future female leaders by advocating for a new model of female leadership focused on embracing risk and failure, promoting mentorship and sponsorship, and charting their own course, personally and professionally.

Saujani shows that if you are a woman leader in pursuit of your passion, don’t let society’s restrictions stop you. Go after your goals, and don’t be afraid to demand your rights and your place at the table. As a leader, you can use your platform to not only advocate for changes to the workplace, but you can inspire other leaders to follow suit by using your platform to raise awareness.

Building a Successful Team is Key

The ability to inspire others is one of the strongest and most effective leadership styles in the modern world of business. As Ronald Reagan aptly stated: “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” Satya Nadella utilized this ideology first, in his capacity as leader of a recruiting team for Procter & Gamble and most recently, as CEO of Microsoft. Over time, he established himself as one of the ten most influential leaders in business.

Nadella recognizes that his achievements are not his alone; rather, he credits his success to his team. And to build a great team, he follows his own hiring philosophy called “Nadella’s Necessities.”

What does this look like in the real world? Nadella looks for two specific traits in new hires: “Do they create clarity?,” and “Do they create energy?” Potential hires who are clear in their thoughts and intentions stand out among the stack of candidates, even before they enter the room. Likewise, those who create energy are hard to forget, and they add great value to a team. As Nadella says himself, “everybody likes working with somebody who gives them energy.”

Nadella has focused on selecting the most suitable candidates for the work, thus allowing his team to galvanize and inspire each other. With that, he has taken the company to new heights. Nadella proves that successful leadership means recognizing that you cannot do it alone. As a future leader, you should take the time learn more about your team members, their goals, and work with them to achieve the goals. If your team is invested in the same vision, together you can achieve new heights.

Take advice from the pros and consider all the possibilities of what successful leadership looks like. In a world that is constantly changing, let your ideas change too. Stay focused, yet open and informed. You may find that you possess many or all of the qualities that you value in a leader. Don’t wait; make choices, make mistakes, and start leading effectively today!