You’re a leader, but what kind are you? What are the elements that make you, you?
To help my clients answer these questions with both clarity and authenticity, I guide them through a process of discernment in the following areas:
– Values clarification…knowing what you stand for means you have a roadmap for the key decisions you must make as a leader.
– Strengths identification…you can’t use them if you’re not sure what they are! And once you know you can build a team that complements you.
– Development needs…we all have them and the sooner you own up to your common, recurring pitfalls the sooner you’ll be able to avoid them more often than not.
– Accomplishments…look back and appreciate – in concrete detail – what you’ve done well so you can both celebrate and memorize what worked.
– Goals…not the financial results kind but the personal effectiveness kind. What kind of impact do I want to make this year? How do I want to make it?
– Key relationships…there are lots of people you support and who support you. Who are the two or three most critical people to focus on right now? How will they help you achieve your goals? How will you help them achieve theirs?
And finally, most importantly, this question: Why do you lead? (More on this one tomorrow.)
Whatever kind of leader you are – parent, foreman, teacher, project manager – completing this profile allows you to harvest insights that lead to impact.
It’s hard work. And for you and those you lead, worth every bit of it.
DAVID BERRY is the author of “A More Daring Life: Finding Voice at the Crossroads of Change” and the founder of RULE13 Learning. He speaks and writes about the complexity of leading in a changing world.
