There are leadership courses, workshops and seminars which can improve your abilities to manage strategies and teams on a high level, but there’s no real substitute for experience. Some professionals live their entire lives without grasping the most important fundamentals of good leadership, while others seem to learn them almost immediately. In short, you can’t major in leadership.
Unfortunately, there isn't a list of simple rules to follow. However, there are some basic tips you’ll need to learn about leadership.

The following 6 timeless leadership lessons, and 6 great leadership powerful habits you can master today.

Top 6 leadership lessons

1. It’s not experience, but rather opportunity that is the true mother of success.
As leaders, you must begin to look beyond the obvious and open your eyes to see the opportunities previously unseen. Opportunities are everywhere, but few have eyes to see them.

2. You must always have a strategy for change.
As leader, you need strategies. Don’t wait until circumstances force you, a change management strategy forces you to think critically about what you need to do as a leader to minimize risk and maximize reward.

3. The entrepreneurial attitude is a mindset.
All is about having an entrepreneurial attitude, and it’s the difference between reinvention and complacency. An attitude that is centered on continuous renewal and reinvention of yourself as a leader and your business is what allows you to sustain success and reach for significance.

4. Be brave, refresh your thinking.
Leaders must keep themselves refreshed with new knowledge, skill-sets and aptitudes. People need courage in their leaders. They need someone who can make difficult decisions and watch over the group. They need a leader who will stay in course when things get tough.

5. Always trust yourself.
Effective leadership is about timing, and when you don’t trust yourself, oftentimes you miss the opportunities to create impact and influence. Trusting yourself is the ability to know your strengths well enough so they allow you to navigate your workplace successfully and influence outcomes.

6. Leadership is about working in the best interests of others.
Leaders must recognize that it is their responsibility to inspire and unite – and in doing so they expand their influence through others. Amongst many things, leadership is about making those around you better.

Top 6 habits of leaders

1. Great leaders train personal connections.
Likeable leaders make people feel like they’re having a one-on-one conversation, as if they’re the only person in the room that matters. They communicate on a very personal, emotional level. Remember: communication is the real work of leadership.

2. Great leaders are approachable.
They make everyone feel valuable because they believe that everyone is valuable. In fact, great leaders welcome different points of view and challenging questions. Likeable leaders truly believe that everyone, regardless of rank or ability, is worth their time and attention.

3. Great leaders are positive.
Strong leaders always maintain a positive outlook, and this shows in how they describe things. They don’t even have to go on a diet; they get to experience the benefits of eating healthfully. Even in undeniably negative situations, likeable leaders emanate an enthusiastic hope for the future, and confidence in that they can help make tomorrow better than today.

4. Great leaders are humble.
Few things kill likeability as quickly as arrogance. Likeable leaders don’t act as though they were better than you because they don’t think that they’re better than you and they don't expect people to do anything they wouldn't do themselves.

5. Great leaders are generous.
The best leaders share credit liberally and routinely offer genuine and heartfelt thanks. They make a point of recognizing the contributions of others and praising their successes.

6. Great leaders have passion.
Passion and enthusiasm are contagious. Great leaders are passionate about what they do, and they strive to share that passion with everyone around them. Likeable leaders inspire trust and admiration through their actions and passion for what they do.

Remember, likeability isn’t a birthright; it is the results from acquirable skills that are crucial to your professional success.