I reckon one of the reasons people shy away from leadership responsibility is that they think it is hard. It can be, but it doesn’t have to be.
If we had to boil leadership down to its purest essence it would look something like this.
Care about others. Leading is all about helping others achieve good things, so being selfless or at least not being self absorbed will help.
Have a plan. Be prepared to say “this is where we need to go and this is how we are going to get there”.
Get things done. Leading is about communicating but it is also about doing and getting results.
Shoulder responsibility. Show others that you are prepared to be accountable for what you and they do together.
Lift others. Somehow, leaders get others to try harder than they normally would. They are able to ‘lift’ performances because they understand what motivates others.
We tend to over complicate most things, but if you want to be a more effective leader, KISS!