Do you have what it takes to be an effective leader? Experts have noticed seven specific actions that most successful leaders carry out, regardless of the organization or cause they lead:

Make others feel important. If your goals and decisions are self-centered, followers will lose their enthusiasm quickly. Emphasize their strengths and contributions instead of your own.

Promote a vision. Followers need a clear idea of where you're leading them, and they need to understand why that goal is valuable to them. Your job as a leader is to provide that vision.

Follow the Golden Rule. Treat your followers the way you enjoy being treated. An abusive leader attracts few loyal followers.

Admit mistakes. If people suspect that you're covering up your own errors, they'll hide their mistakes, too, and you'll lack valuable information for making decisions.

Criticize others only in private. Public praise encourages others to excel, but public criticism only embarrasses and alienates everyone.

Stay close to the action. You need to be visible to the members of your organization. Talk to people, visit other offices and work sites, ask questions, and observe how employees handle their business. Often you'll gain new insights into your work and find new opportunities for motivating your followers.

Make a game of competition. The competitive drive can be a valuable tool if you use it correctly. Set team goals and reward those who meet or exceed them. Examine your failures and celebrate your groups' successes.

Are you one of those people who says, “I'm not good at remembering names,” as though it were a character trait? You're not alone. Here are a few tips to help you eliminate “what's-his-name” from your vocabulary forever:

Be interested. Many of us don't even catch other people's names when they're introduced because we're too focused on ourselves. So the first step to remembering a name is to pay attention as you're introduced.

Want to remember. Focus on remembering. This change of attitude and intention will, by itself, greatly increase your awareness and thus your ability.

Slow down. Take time with each person and look them in the eyes. Notice something distinctive about the person, especially their face. And speaking of faces…

Picture it written on their forehead. Franklin Roosevelt continually amazed his staff by remembering the names of nearly everyone he met. His secret? He used to imagine seeing the name written across the person's forehead. This is a particularly powerful technique if you visualize the name written in your favorite color of Magic Marker.

Say it aloud. After you hear their name, say it aloud, and then use the first name occasionally during your conversation with the person. “Hi, Jim, nice to meet you. So, what do you do for a living, Jim?” or “Do you have any kids, Jim? Jim, it was great to meet you!