Leadership Starts with You
The answer to any leadership challenge starts from within. The difference between a good leader and a great leader lies in the level of personal empowerment you feel. Great leaders see themselves as having the ability to impact an outcome and believe they are creators of their own reality, not victims to circumstances around them.
Often, we see team members sit back and wait for “someone” to lead and take charge of a situation. They expect someone else to drive an initiative, preferring to be a follower and wait for direction. Too often individuals point the finger at others instead of recognizing that when you have your figure pointed at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you. It’s easy to criticize the work of others, much harder to jump in and tack action yourself. A lack of action tends to be rooted in fear of failure, fear of being vulnerable, fear of looking stupid, or fear of being wrong or seen as weak. All this fear-based behavior is a way to protect the ego.
Great leaders have just enough ego to know who they are and stand tall with confidence and strength, yet also have the humility to look inward towards self-awareness and self-improvement. This balance is hard to find, but great leaders who do are driven to show up every day as the best version of themselves.
You are the most powerful force for change in an organization. Great leaders have learned to harness their personal power and are willing to challenge themselves first before they cast blame or criticize others. When great leaders are frustrated and not getting the results they want, they begin by asking themselves these questions instead of pointing the finger:
1) Clarity – Leadership is about setting a vision so staff know where they are going. Staff come to work with good intentions of wanting to help an organization, and too often leaders don’t define what excellence looks like. Set a clear vision with clear priorities and A-players will strive to reach that result.
2) Communication- It’s critical for leaders to be able to speak in a way that an individual can best understand, adapting their communication style to the person in front of them. Having a vision is worthless if a leader can’t communicate that vision and inspire the team around them.
3) Accountability- Top leaders hold staff accountable because they care more about staff reaching their full potential and living the purpose of the organization then they care about being liked. A-player employees thrive in an environment that challenges them to show up the best version of themselves every day.
Have you harnessed the power of ONE, the power of YOU? Executive coaching is a tool top leader use to tap into their personal power to effect change. Inquire about a free coaching session today.
