We Are All Leaders
Some of us are leaders by title. All of us are leaders in life.
Whether we have a job title that denotes leadership or not – we are all leaders. We lead in our career, our business, and our relationships. Every time we engage with another human, we are in a moment of deciding how we will lead -how we will show up in that conversation.
To lead with authenticity
We have been conditioned to believe that we must present a certain image when we are at work. This mask we are expected to wear can carry the burden of not feeling like our true self or not being authentic.
Sometimes we feel like an imposter, so we put on a “fake it ‘til you make it” mask. The imposter syndrome can have a significant impact on our ability to lead with authenticity. There is also a sense of obligation that we need to “be” a certain way in our career or business, which can result in not feeling like ourselves.
Do you rise in the morning with the sentiment of “Gotta get my game face on?”
We know we’re supposed to be authentic, but that idea can be complicated. Possibly, we aren’t clear on what our true self wants. We live our lives so deep in demands from multiple directions that we don’t have the opportunity to consider, to reflect, to let our heart speak, “This is how I want to be”.
To lead with empathy
Empathy is vital in our relationships with others and has a significant impact in the workplace. As a leader we must understand and have empathy for the feelings of others. Leading with empathy means being sensitive, to others, interested in their lives, and willing to support them through challenges. The result is that we develop long-lasting and meaningful relationships with people built on trust and mutual commitment to common goals and outcomes.
To lead towards common good
Whether we are trying to get our toddler to bed, working with our business team to implement technology, absorbing the duties of a colleague on leave, or trying to reach a resolution with a dissatisfied client, the ability to lead towards the common good is essential.
The ability to hear the stories and positions of others, and to find a resolution that is founded in common good requires diplomacy and vision. The ability to understand and draw on our strengths to navigate the situation requires a clear understanding of our leadership style.
To lead towards change
Change for the sake of change to not good leadership. As leaders at home and at work, we are presented with situations where things must change - dare I say pivot? - for the common good.
Approaching on-line learning with our child during the pandemic, implementing change in our business strategy or navigating remote technology with our work team requires an understanding of the way others process change and our own strengths and ability to implement that change.
To lead towards outcomes
There are moments in life that you just need to get sh*t done. Orders must get out on time. We have to get our child to a doctor’s appointment. Having clarity about our purpose, understanding how we should best move forward, and remaining composed is crucial. If by chance composure seems to be fleeting, the journey back to composure must be clear. It helps to create our own personalized toolbox of strategies to help us maintain composure and keep it handy.
To lead with compassion
It would be wonderful to live in a world where compassion is at the core of all actions and decisions. Unfortunately, we don’t have to go farther than the news or social media feed to encounter situations and discussions where compassion fails to be present.
To create that missing harmony, in homes, businesses, and lives, we must make an intentional effort to understand the perspectives of others.
Compassion means that we hold space for people with whom we don’t share the same opinion. It’s easy to show compassion for someone you agree with; it’s much harder to show compassion for someone with an opposing view.
The reality is that we don’t know what we don’t know. So, if someone does something or believes in something that doesn’t make sense to you, remember that you don’t know their truth or their life experience. Take a deep breath. And then use your leadership style and your emotional intelligence to navigate to harmony.
Where we can take leadership from here….
There are four domains to leadership:
Leading through People, Leading with Vision, Leading to Deliver, Leading with Drive.
Our understanding of which of these domains is our natural leadership style, where our strengths are, and what can happen when our composure slips, is illuminating. The bottom line is that with these insights, we will become a better leader in business and at home.
In my next journal I will discuss the four leadership domains. Sign-up for our newsletter so that you can be informed when our new workshop series, The Heart of the Matter, is launched so that you can begin your journey of discovery into your authentic self and leadership style.
