What is your leadership story, and why does it even matter?
You’re a leader. Whether you sit at the helm of a large organization or contribute your skills and expertise alongside your teammates, what you do and how you show up has a tremendous influence on those around you.
What’s more, each of our leadership stories is unique. It’s important to understand where our leadership story comes from, how it serves us, how it may be hindering us, and how it impact others.
So, what makes up our leadership stories?
These are the three key aspects to our leadership stories:
BEHAVIOR. These are the things we say and do, which comes from…
ATTITUDE. This is our habit of thinking, which comes from our…
LEADERSHIP DNA. This is our natural wiring, values, life experiences, and the stories we tell ourselves about those experiences.
Whew! This may seem like a lot! Let me break it down a little further.
To begin to understand and uncover YOUR leadership story, start by paying closer attention to the way you speak, act, and the decisions you make.
From there, ask yourself: “What thoughts led me to these words, actions, decisions?”
And from there, ask yourself: “What beliefs, values or experiences led me to these thoughts?”
Sometimes we are acting/responding in a constructive, healthy way…other times, not so much. Being aware is the first step.
Once you’re more aware of your leadership story, you are better equipped to leverage the areas of natural strength and identify areas you want to adjust or manage differently.
The world…YOUR world…needs WHO you are as a leader. The more clarity you have on your leadership story and what is driving you as a leader, the more positive impact you will have on those around you—personally and professionally.
In Phase 01 of The Coach Approach to Leadership™, we start with DISCOVER – where we focus on the ‘WHO’ of leadership. That means YOU!
It all starts with the ‘WHO’…
Now that you’ve given some thought to YOUR leadership story, what is influencing/driving your story?