Right now, as a human race, I see that we can only benefit from more compassionate, empathic and empowered leaders.
Every single one of us is already a leader in some area of life. We have influence in our workplace, we have influence in our family and we have influence in our community. We already powerfully affect each other. The only question is…
In my training courses, this is one of the questions I often ask people who attend. Often the answers I get are along the lines of:
I want to be respected or;
I want people to want to work with me
These are wonderful aspirations but it’s also important to realise they are the end result – almost like a symptom of what happens when we are living true to our own nature as a leader.
It’s so important to acknowledge that we have no power over the outcome of how people perceive us;
We only have power over what kind of leader, within ourselves, that we are.
So instead of focusing on the outcome, ask yourself what matters to you – uniquely as YOU – as you stand in your leadership?
For example:
- I want to be the type of leader who encourages and supports others to grow
- I want to be the kind of leader who brings out the best in other people
- I want to be a leader who makes it safe for new and creative ideas to be shared
- I want to be the kind of leader who brings fun and laughter to their team
As you will see within these leadership aspirations – they are all things you can do something about. And leadership for every person will have a different flavour. As different as the many different flavours of humans on the planet! Your real leadership is authentic to YOU.
And of course, if you live true to what really matters to you, and bring this to those around you, then most likely, you will also attract people who respect your leadership style and want to work with you.
It’s the magic flow-on effect.
Questioning what kind of leader you want to be is the starting point that will shape every other decision you make in your leadership. It will motivate what you learn and where you put your attention. It will motivate how you interact with those around you. And it’s what will drive you to become the best leader that you, in your own unique way, can be.
With love,
Shari