While overcoming the stigmas that exist around leadership in the workplace can be a difficult process, the truth is that time and effort can significantly aid us in reaching our full potential as leaders. Here are just a few ways that we can help challenge outdated notions of leadership in our own careers, and why doing so can be a life-changing experience.

1. Leaders Cannot Be Open

To a certain generation of business professionals, leaders were often seen as cold and distant figures; if you were an employee of such a person, you probably wouldn’t want to earn their attention. In recent years, however, the notion that leaders should not be emotionally open has earned many critics. When people do not feel that they can approach their managers about problems or concerns, in other words, they are unlikely to make those managers aware of critical problems in the workplace. For many businesses, that lack of two-way communication can spell disaster.

1. Leaders Must Be Excessively Strict

For many of even today’s greatest business leaders, overcoming the myth of the hardline manager who is excessively strict with employees can feel insurmountably difficult. For years, the image of the arrogant, overly-strict boss has been reinforced in the public imagination via Hollywood films and popular television shows such as “Mad Men” and “Billions”; in reality, excessively strict leaders usually face an uphill battle in maintaining employee loyalty.

To be a truly good leader in this day and age, a person must be both flexible and willing to meet employees halfway on important decisions. That does not mean being a pushover, of course, but it does mean that leaders must cultivate an attitude of understanding and empathy with their charges to truly succeed.

1. Leadership Skills Must Come Naturally

When they experience difficulties in managing people effectively, many leaders feel that they are not “cut out” to run a business. They may feel that leadership skills are simply beyond them, or that they do not have enough natural talent to be a truly successful leader.

According to Stanford psychologist Carol S. Dweck, however, such negative beliefs can arise from the “fixed” mindset that many leaders develop early in their careers. In Dweck’s estimation, we sell ourselves short when we ascribe excellent performance in the workplace to natural talent. For most people, in other words, cultivating leadership skills is a process rather than a fixed destination. When we view the development of leadership through this “growth” mindset, we’ll be far more likely to move forward in life when we experience difficulties or setbacks.

For these reasons, challenging negative stereotypes around business leadership can be a profoundly positive way to reach new chapters in our business careers. While negative stereotypes about leaders can be pervasive and even harmful in today’s society, “being the change that we want to see” in the workplace can often help us forge a new path towards career success. Truly, that is leadership at its best!

This article was originally published on YoussefKabbaj.net