BEING A LEADER IS ALL ABOUT CREATING CONNECTIONS
Being a leader is all about creating connections.
And while most people fixate on the ‘outside’ connections, if you want to be a leader the first connection you need to make is to yourself.
If you don’t understand who you are and what you stand for…
And you don’t live according to your stated principles…
Your odds of building a loyal, trusting following are nonexistent.
As Aristotle said: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
So, here are 3 ways to develop the self-knowledge required of a good leader:
1 – Define Your Core Values
If you’re a leader, whether in a large or small capacity, you’re going to be faced with some hard decisions.
Roy Disney had a phrase “When values are clear decisions are easy.”
Understanding your core values provides a roadmap for decision-making.
Not only does this help clarify things for you…
But it helps your teammates understand and predict what you’re going to do and why you’re going to do it – an unpredictable leader creates an environment of uncertainty and anxiety.
.
2 – Understand Your Temperament
Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you prefer to be spontaneous or well-planned? Are you intuitive or data-driven?
Understanding your temperament is important in understanding where you’re likely to be naturally energized, knowing how to communicate with people of different temperaments, and finding teammates who can make up for your weaknesses.
.
3 – Articulate Your Vision
Understand where you’re going, why you’re going there, how you’re going to get there.
What does success look like? What are your win conditions? What contribution do you want to make?
When articulate your vision, you need to ensure that it’s in alignment with both your values and your temperament.
Too often I see people who say they ‘want to make a difference’, but their vision is about laying on a beach in the Bahamas.
Or they’re an introvert trying to master the door-to-door game (a mistake I once made!).
In your role as a leader, it’s your primary job to get people rallied around your vision.
If you can’t articulate it to yourself, you can’t communicate it to your team.
And if it’s not true to who you are, they’ll smell the incongruence from a mile away.
And while most people fixate on the ‘outside’ connections, if you want to be a leader the first connection you need to make is to yourself.
If you don’t understand who you are and what you stand for…
And you don’t live according to your stated principles…
Your odds of building a loyal, trusting following are nonexistent.
As Aristotle said: “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”
So, here are 3 ways to develop the self-knowledge required of a good leader:
1 – Define Your Core Values
If you’re a leader, whether in a large or small capacity, you’re going to be faced with some hard decisions.
Roy Disney had a phrase “When values are clear decisions are easy.”
Understanding your core values provides a roadmap for decision-making.
Not only does this help clarify things for you…
But it helps your teammates understand and predict what you’re going to do and why you’re going to do it – an unpredictable leader creates an environment of uncertainty and anxiety.
.
2 – Understand Your Temperament
Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you prefer to be spontaneous or well-planned? Are you intuitive or data-driven?
Understanding your temperament is important in understanding where you’re likely to be naturally energized, knowing how to communicate with people of different temperaments, and finding teammates who can make up for your weaknesses.
.
3 – Articulate Your Vision
Understand where you’re going, why you’re going there, how you’re going to get there.
What does success look like? What are your win conditions? What contribution do you want to make?
When articulate your vision, you need to ensure that it’s in alignment with both your values and your temperament.
Too often I see people who say they ‘want to make a difference’, but their vision is about laying on a beach in the Bahamas.
Or they’re an introvert trying to master the door-to-door game (a mistake I once made!).
In your role as a leader, it’s your primary job to get people rallied around your vision.
If you can’t articulate it to yourself, you can’t communicate it to your team.
And if it’s not true to who you are, they’ll smell the incongruence from a mile away.
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