How to Lead Like a Rockstar: 7 Steps to Bold, Unstoppable Success

Successful leadership these days is more about influence than dictatorship. You can’t cajole or push your people into producing for you. Ruling with the iron fist is counterintuitive – although tempting at times.

Do you remember your favourite manager or boss from early on in your career? The people who you recall with fondness and likely with a smile on your face? There was something about them as a human that makes you feel like that. It likely wasn’t about how they led, it was more about how they made you feel. Rockstars make us feel a certain way. That’s why we love them.

Leadership isn’t for the faint of heart. To make an impact whether you run a team or a business, you need more than a to-do list. You need guts, grit and a hit of energy. Your favourite manager probably had this as well as some personality.

As a leader, you can use your influence to create strong employee engagement, which is something we know produces better results within businesses. People who are engaged are more creative and drive better results.

So, what do we do? Given that Gallup found that leaders influence 70% of employee engagement, so you have a huge opportunity to tap into influence as a leadership tool. We want to use everything in our power to positively influence our people. You can do that, by tapping into your own style so you can lead like a rockstar.

Read: Don't Chase KPIs, Create Momentum

1. Rewrite The Rules

Influential leaders don’t follow outdated rules just because “that’s how it’s always been done.” They challenge the status quo by leading with alignment, energy, and authenticity. The most impactful leaders rewrite the rules to create workplaces where people want to show up and give their best.

2. Own It

Leaders who are self-aware and authentic build stronger and more connected teams. Research consistently shows that when leaders lead from a place of clarity and personal alignment, they inspire greater trust, engagement, and performance.

Yet many still try to lead in ways that don’t quite fit. They copy others, second guess themselves and hold back parts of who they are. The truth is, leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your strength lies in your uniqueness, and the more you own it, the more effective you become. Authentic leaders also drive results. It’s inspiring and it’s strategic.

3. Connect

Leadership isn’t about barking orders. It’s about building rapport and relationships. Get curious about what makes them tick and share as much as you can about yourself as well. Show your people that you’re interested in understanding them.

When you connect and communicate with your people, you create rapport and trust. This will help you become more influential.

4. Energy

How you feel and how you show up will impact all around you. Energetic and emotionally intelligent leaders drive higher team performance and loyalty. We know that people follow leaders who bring the fire - passion, presence, and purpose.

Consider how you can tap more into the three P’s within yourself and notice how when you do this, the people you’re leading will shift.

5. Stand Out

If you want to make a profound impact, you’ve got to be seen. People remember how you made them feel and that starts with showing up with energy, conviction, and consistency.

This doesn’t mean wearing outlandish shirts to work! This means contributing your views thoughtfully about things as they come up. It means developing your own thinking about issues that you know will arise and speaking into those. When you do this, you build trust, influence and momentum.

6. Trailblaze

Rockstars don’t wait for permission to lead change, they initiate it. You can, too. Businesses always need innovation and creative thinking in order to grow and evolve. It’s the way that businesses survive. Turn up the volume on your creativity and you'll influence those around you to do the same.

7. Be Consistent

Consistency builds trust and momentum. The people you lead won’t remember what you said if you only say it once. They’ll remember what you reinforce consistently with energy, purpose and conviction.

Seen. Heard. Fired up. That’s the Happily effect. Try it today!