Amplifying our leadership is all about asking ourselves the right (and sometimes difficult) questions in order to develop awareness and vision for our organizations.
Am I being the best role model and leader for others?
Am I an asset to my community?
Do I consistently operate with a role model mindset?
Do I have others best interest at heart?
Do people see me as someone they want to follow and am I able to positively impact peoples’ lives?
It can feel daunting to engage in deep levels of self-perception such as this but in order to serve at our highest levels, we’ve got to brave whatever comes. Highlighting areas needing improvement or gaps in both intention and action are often feared or overlooked. Taking the time to acknowledge and evaluate the data gained from asking ourselves such questions often comes with the price tag of extra work - work we aren’t sure how to find the time to do!
The work involved is worth it. One aspect of leadership involves holding ourselves to high standards. We must be super conscious to ensure we are pointing ourselves in the right direction, rather than becoming hard on ourselves. This is a FACT and it’s crucial. Leading through shame does not make us a good role model. Rather than engaging in self-judgement around our level of proficiency in leadership we need to take a look through a more objective lens. If we feel that we’re lacking essential leadership skills which enable us to to lead, persuade and influence, we must challenge ourselves to TAKE ACTION toward pursuing whatever measures necessary to improve those skill sets.
Let’s create a plan to set us up for success.
An important first step in creating a plan to support our growth is to determine who could help us get there faster. Asking for help is one thing that leaders often prefer not to do...
When targeting an area in which to improve, it’s time to observe the habit of “getting by with a little little help from our friends” (need to re-listen to the legendary song? Enjoy the Beatles here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C58ttB2-Qg).
Who do you know, perhaps a friend, colleague or professional, that could help you achieve mastery in a particular subject area? It’s time to curl up with a cuppa tea (in your closet for a little quiet, if need be!) and do some brainstorming. Identify what you need to do and take massive action toward it immediately (or you won’t do it at all).
Ask for help.
As we develop our vision, we must realize that it’s not just for us - it has the potential to benefit many. We need to get into the habit of enlisting the help and skill sets of others. Asking for help can be one of our greatest challenges as business owners because we don’t want to be one to inconvenience others...but that’s just ego talking.
When we enlist others to share their voices, perspective and skills, we enter into the space of creating a bigger vision with the potential of serving more people. We must remember that what we’re trying to create through our leadership is not just for us...it’s not just our vision. Encourage others to get on board and to be involved from the start if you want to be a better leader. People support what they help to create, so, if we enlist others to be part of the dream, our ability to have impact is magnified tenfold. Pay attention to the needs of others and reflect back what you’re hearing - that’s high-level leadership.
When we dial in these perceived gaps in a specific, calculated way, we know EXACTLY what to do next rather than getting caught up in the perpetual cycle of learning (and failing to apply what we’ve learned). It is in this holding pattern, that we end up doing a whole lot more work than is necessary. It’s one of those things in which we need to slow down to speed up and trust the process of incorporating more planning into our schedules so we can be efficient. This is why finding key areas on which to improve does not create more work - it creates the ability for you to do more specific, needle-moving work so we can be of greater service to our mission to lead others.
To recap:
1. Identify whose help we need.
2. Make a plan.
3. Take immediate action.
When we know we’re in service to others, we feel more confident about our leadership capabilities. Working hard to close the gaps in our skillset or knowledge base will increase our ability to serve. Check out High Performance Specialist, Brendon Burchard’s video on leadership here (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SOTBHAcLV4). This is a great example of going beyond the obvious when it comes to leadership. When we show up every day to serve and lead and care for others, it’s the natural confidence booster we need to have greater success. When our confidence and self-perception align with the truth that we’re here to make a difference, that we are capable of helping other people and skilled enough to do so, we can do greater things than we have possibly ever imagined. Mindset is everything when it comes to leadership.
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