How To Own Your Authority in Life: 3 Ways To Be The Leader

Being a leader is more than about being in charge. Knowing how to own your authority in life starts with trusting yourself, letting go of impostor syndrome, and acknowledging your accomplishments. This can apply to your personal life or being your own boss.

Owning your authority is so much more than just “being in charge”. Many times the concept of authority gets a bad rap.   

As an authoritative type of person, you’re someone who shows you’re “confident, in control, and expect to be respected and obeyed.”

Within owning your authority, it’s important to lean into becoming the leader you want to be. You can do this by reflecting on an amazing leader you had in your life (or wish you had). The difference between authority and leadership means you don’t need to be in control and in charge of everything, but instead be willing to reflect, grow, make mistakes, and always strive for solutions.

We have all had experiences when we’ve worked with a boss who was less of a leader and more of a boss in charge. So, what does it really mean to be a boss who becomes a leader? What does it really mean to become an authority in what you do in a way that leads and guides others in an empowering approach? 

These three tips will help you get a better understanding of your own authority and how to be an effective leader.

Trust yourself

Whether you’re in a position of authority or you’re just starting out with your own business, you most likely have extensive experience in a specific area. 

This experience is how you got where you are and likely came with many hours of practicing a certain skill.

It can be hard to trust yourself to have the best answers or make the correct decisions all the time. A great leader must often make difficult choices and that can feel impossible at times.

You’re allowed to trust yourself to have the answers! And if you don’t, you know where to find them, right?

Give yourself permission to listen to external advice, but ultimately, trust yourself to have the best answers for yourself and your clients because you already have the skill sets you need to succeed.

If you need it, look for help from people who know more than you and who will help you find your own answers.

Let go of impostor syndrome

Do you ever feel like you’re making it up as you go along? That other people know more than you and you have no idea why you should be a business owner?

You have the skills but you feel like an impostor. This is called impostor syndrome and everyone feels it! You’re not alone.

This is so common, in fact, that there are tons of resources to help with this very thing.

The most important thing to remember is that you have the knowledge!

To get through this sticky part of your business, start by getting clear on your fears. Write them out. Then, write down if you know the answer or know where to find it. 

These fears are based on self-doubt and an excellent way to see yourself through them is to prove to yourself that you do, indeed, have the answers.

Stop analysis paralysis in its tracks and take immediate action. Even if it’s something small. 

Taking action overcomes impostor syndrome and helps you own your authority in life even if the action is imperfect.

Waiting for the perfect time, perfect place, or perfect knowledge, means you’ll never get where you want to go in your business.

Learning to take action even when you don’t have all the pieces yet is how you learn and evolve to be the best leader you can possibly be.

Acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments

One of the hardest things for entrepreneurs to do is acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments. Yes, even the small ones!

This can be in their professional lives or personal relationships.

Owning your accomplishments is an excellent way to remember that you do, in fact, have the results and that this is what makes you a leader.

Respect gained from the people around you comes from them trusting that you know what you’re talking about and that you have the experience.

Taking time to write these down, creates a snowball effect of trust in yourself and your abilities to be the leader you know you are.

This, in turn, trickles down the line and shows that you own your authority in life and business.

Conclusion: How to own your authority in life

Knowing how to own your authority in life come from trusting yourself to have the best answers for people who need help based on your specific skill set.

To do this, you need to let go of feeling like you don’t know enough and remember that you do have the knowledge you need to succeed.

This comes from remembering all the little steps you took to get where you are today and setting yourself up for future success by continuing to write down your wins when you have them.

Being a leader is so much more than having authority over people through force. Winning their trust and respect is how you can own your authority in life and business while being the best leader possible.