People ask me all the time how to become a better leader. My short answer? You already have everything you need. The long answer? Becoming a leader is less about learning, and more about uncovering and tapping into your natural leadership tendencies. Self-awareness is key to being seen as and followed as a legitimate leader (regardless of your industry and professional experience), because it’s easy to sense when someone’s not in their power.
Think about the people in your life – have you ever had a conversation with someone, thought they were cool/brilliant/funny AND sensed their underlying nervous energy? I definitely have. And while I am happy to support and build up those individuals, that’s not who I’m running to when I need advice or guidance.
If I’m looking outside of myself for support – and I HIGHLY recommend getting the support you need when you need it – I will always gravitate toward individuals who are capable of showing up for me in the way I need. I don’t want my needs to be filtered through their own insecurities, distractions and self doubt. Grab the free list of do’s and don’t s of asking for support in the Support Vault, here!
Does this mean you need to wake up every morning, rosy cheeked and bright eyed and feeling 100? No! What it means is that if you’re committed to showing up in the world, in your industry and in your community as a leader, you need to be committed to continually addressing and excavating any fears that arise that keep you from doing that work powerfully. That’s why I find mindset work to be so powerful for leaders – because both mindset work and leadership are rooted first in intention.
I find that the easiest way to name and release the doubts, fears or even the overwhelming “I don’t know!” mindset that keeps us from leading others is through writing. I’m a journal keeper, but not in the traditional Dear Diary sense. Instead, I think of my journal as a space to actively work through and dismiss my challenges on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes daily basis. If you flipped back through some of my completed notebooks, you would be able to pinpoint exactly where I was at that point in life in terms of my own personal growth and development. Bonus point: this dynamic type of journal keeping creates a track record of your successes and wins.
Maybe I’m impatient, or maybe I’m just efficient. 🤷♀️Either way, I don’t enjoy stream of consciousness writing – I’d rather ask myself a direct question and see what my gut response is. That’s why I’ve pulled together four questions for YOU to journal on this week that are guaranteed to make you a more intentional, and therefore more powerful, leader.
Plus, these four questions are the fundamentals that guide all of my private client work when it comes to intuitive leadership development. Walking yourself through this exercise is a great way to get a taste of the process, and to is an excellent way to see whether leadership development is right for you at this stage! Hint: if your pages are overflowing, now might be the time to consider private coaching.
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How do I desire and intend to lead?
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How can I better support myself as a human and a leader? What do I need to release or resolve to show up fully as a leader?
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What experience do I want to create for the people around me? How does my leadership style, intention and behavior make this a reality?
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How can I show up as leader outside of the workspace?
If you’re staring at a blank page, don’t despair. Let’s zoom out for a second, because paralysis serves nobody. Focus on this question first: how can good leadership change lives?
The answers are limitless. Get to writing! And let me know in the comments some of what you’re uncovering.
