What does your dashboard look like so far? Is it full of powerful images or is it largely sparse so far? Is it primarily positive and bright, or does it contain some negativity and darkness that urgently needs to be surrounded by something more hopeful?
We will add some outlines to your board in the form of a series of related questions. What I would like you to do is think about these questions carefully, and write down your answers (on paper, in a notebook, if possible).
The most important answers you discover will find their way to your dashboard and help you turn your masterpiece into something you can proudly hang in your mind palace.
- What kind of leader do you want to be?
- What type of leader would your team describe you as?
- What kind of leader might you mistakenly assume you are? He should He is?
- How do you feel about the idea of someone referring to you as a leader?
- Is your personality at work the same as your personality at home, and if not, why?
Your Leadership Philosophy
When our family engages in the dinnertime ritual of going around the table and identifying something we’re grateful for, sometimes someone struggles because, frankly, they’ve had a bad day. This happens to all of us from time to time, and when it does, it can be incredibly difficult to find something meaningful to contribute. The pain of the moment can blind us to the joys and blessings that still exist. When that happens, that person is given a free pass—not to say nothing, but simply to affirm that they’re grateful to be sitting at a table with food on their plate, surrounded by people they love. In truth, even then, that person may not be feeling grateful at that moment. But this keeps the routine going and strengthens the gratitude muscle that helps us avoid falling into negative thought patterns.
You can take the same approach with our dashboard and the custom template we put together. Your approach is unique, and as you apply your leadership philosophy to your dashboard, you can learn how to connect your strengths and abilities to your values and priorities.
This must be a very deliberate act. The answers to the questions in the previous section that you write down and the other observations you make about yourself create a unique picture that helps you envision the kind of leader you were destined to become.
And there will There may be times when the picture gets blurry. When you’ve faced an uncomfortable conflict, made some bad decisions, or received some negative feedback, it can be hard to maintain confidence in your methods. But in the same way that even a bad day can have reasons to be grateful, the shortcomings in your leadership abilities can reveal hidden strengths and resilience.
In those moments, recall those occasions in your career—and even before—when you demonstrated elements of your leadership abilities or witnessed the positive effects of your actions.
- Someone specifically asked to join my team because they wanted to work with me.
- The project I managed was a huge success and helped a number of other participants advance in their careers.
- I coached a junior executive who is now in a senior leadership position at a Fortune 500 company.
- I led my college basketball team to the state championship final.
- He was a founding member of an amateur orchestra, and I was instrumental in keeping the group together, playing every Friday night for five years.
You will find it helpful to write these things down, so that you can easily refer to them when you need them, especially on occasions when you find your confidence wavering and you find it difficult to maintain faith.
These memories are the fixed points in your life that form the basic images on your dashboard. They will help you get through the tough times. But more importantly, they will motivate you to be the leader you need to be.
Don’t wait.
You can be a leader wherever you are, in any job position, with any personality type, and with any management style. But it won’t happen unless you make it happen. Believe in yourself, your character, and the unique combination of abilities and values you bring to the table. It’s your individuality that makes your voice valuable and worth sharing.
Sometimes people are afraid to speak up because they think that if what they have to say is worthwhile, someone else would have said it already. This is completely untrue. It is impossible for someone else to speak up and express something that comes from our unique perspective. So when you censor yourself, you are not only placing unreasonable limits on yourself, you are also depriving everyone around you of your valuable contribution.
Your true value lies in who you are. In your true self. In your authentic self. In your voice that is yours alone. Once you understand that, you can do great things.
This excerpt is from Great Leadership: Styles for Building Highly Impactful TeamsSusan Martin’s book is reprinted with permission of the publisher.
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