What Is Your Leadership Story?

I’m always on the lookout for articles about leadership. Here are a few snippets:

Leadership is as much about who you are as it is about how you lead. Together, we are going to dig deep and do some honest reflection to determine who you are as a leader. Once you connect with who you are as a leader, you can more effectively connect with your organisation and make more conscious, intentional decisions about how you want to lead.

Let’s dive right in!

We are going to walk through a few exercises to uncover your greatest strengths so you can leverage the heck out of them to be the leader your team needs. You are the expert on what is best for you, and I am the expert in asking you the powerful questions that help you uncover those answers for yourself.

Today I am going to push you outside of your comfort zone to support you in digging deeper and thinking bigger so that you can live to your full potential and design the future you’ve always dreamed of.

Leadership

First, let's talk about leadership.

Leadership is a simple but often misunderstood word. According to Merriam-Webster, a leader is "a person who leads: such as a person who has commanding authority or influence." But being a leader is so much more. It encompasses who you are, as well as why and how you lead.

Your team may describe your leadership style as compassionate, underpinned by the clear communication of vision and mission. They may also describe you as driven and dedicated to your team and the organisation’s success. None of those descriptors indicate your level of authority, but they do describe who you are and how you lead.

Authority is not leadership. Power is not leadership. Larger teams do not mean a wider span of influence. Leadership is not a title or the authority your position holds. You are a leader because people want to follow you. Leaders lead across teams, business units and organisations and from every level of the organisation.

What does that mean? That means you have the ability to impact not only your team but teams across your organisation and your industry. It also means your team is impacted and influenced by those around you. That is an important fact to remember when working with peers and other leaders throughout your organisation. You are all in this together.

A Leader’s Journey

Next, let’s talk about a leader’s journey. Not the journey others see, but the backstory.

According to my résumé and LinkedIn profile, my leadership journey began when I graduated from college and wove a winding path from finance to IT, through business school, writing my first three books and winning amazing awards. It would show me working with wonderful, and not-so-wonderful, people through umpteen certifications, all leading me to discover true professional fulfillment in helping you identify and reach your professional and personal goals through coaching.

Your Leadership Journey

Finally, let’s talk about your journey.

Leadership journeys are rarely linear or without challenges, and it is typically during those twists and turns that we learn the most. So let’s spend a little time looking back on your career, from a slightly different perspective. Not a review of everything you have achieved, but a look at the why and the how behind what you achieved.

Grab a pen and answer the following questions:

• What accomplishment (career or personal) are you proudest of?

• Which leadership skills have served you well throughout your career?

• If you could change one thing about your leadership, what would it be?

• When you retire, what do you want to be remembered for?

Did any of your answers surprise you? Most of the leaders I work with experience one or two ah-ha moments when going through these questions. Please take your time and think through your answers.

Now, I want you to grab a fresh piece of paper or open a new document, take each of the answers to the questions above and write a description of who you are as a leader. This is your leadership story. Your leadership story is a wonderful resource for you to use to reflect on where you are today and where you would like to be tomorrow. It is also a powerful tool to use to connect with those you work with.

Want to know more? Head on over to the full article here for more ideas and perspectives. Afterwards, why not drop me an email to share your thoughts at robert@businessvaluepartners.com.au; or call me on 0467 749 378.

Thanks,

Robert