Leadership of Self
If you are a Mother, Father, Partner, Friend or Team mate, then you are fulfilling a leadership role.
You may not think you are, but someone is looking up to you and is looking to you for guidance, support and validation. So, whether you like it or not, you are a Leader.
So why not be the very best Leader you can be?
The best Leaders are always Leaders of Themselves first, they lead others by the example they set.
There are 3 main pillars to becoming a Leader of Yourself
1. Responsibility
2. Awareness
3. Direction
Today I want to discuss Responsibility.
Your response to the events, incidents, conversations, actions, etc that happen around you all the time will determine your ability to deal with them resourcefully or unresourcefully.
Response = Ability
Let’s be clear, you will deal with them in some way….
Resourcefully means that the way you deal with them will be effective, efficient and sustainable and serve the greater good.
Unresourcefully means the complete opposite, you will deal with them in a manner that is ineffective (meaning you will probably have to re-visit it to get a decent conclusion) and unsustainable (meaning that it will be draining, hard work and will leave you feeling unfulfilled and empty) and finally will only serve you and no one else.
So, we have determined that you will respond in one way or the other, but how can we recognise which way we are responding?
Well, if you are having to re-visit the same thing more than once, you are responding unresourcefully.
If you are noticing that you are not getting the responses you desire from those around you, you are probably responding unresourcefully.
Are you feeling physically or mentally drained after dealing with something? If the answer is yes to one or both of these then you are probably responding unresourcefully.
If you are able to respond and walk away with a comfortable feeling and those around you are feeling comfortable as well and you don’t feel drained or tired, then you have responded resourcefully.
Honestly, hand on heart, what is the common outcome for you?
Because there is an underlying value of a leader, one value that will stand out head and shoulder above all others….and that value is - great integrity.
I define integrity as:
“doing the right thing at the right time, even when nobody else is looking”
If you have great integrity, you have the foundations of becoming a great leader of yourself and others.
So, honestly, hand on heart, what is the common outcome for you?
Are you resourcefully or unresourcefully taking responsibility for the events, actions, incidents, conversations etc that happen around you all day, every day?
Are there any areas in where you can improve?
If so, are you willing to take the responsibility to identify those areas and to address how you can resourcefully respond to them?
Next, do you have the tools in your toolbox to be able to do this?
If not, do you have the integrity to take the responsibility to be able to source the tools, insights, learnings, strategies that you will need?
Because a Leader will find a way…
Because a Leader is all about improving themselves so that they can be a role model, share and inspire those around them through their actions.
Imagine if your children were watching you and you came across a problem you could not resolve and you chose to ignore it, dismiss it, blame it on someone or something else….what do you think your children would think?
Do you think they would believe that your response is the best way?
Of course they would….think back to when you were a child and the “big people” in your world knew everything and they were the greatest, and you wanted to be like them, you would model what they would do.
Now think about the conversations you have around them, the language you use, the impact all of that is having on them…..now try to tell me you are not a Leader.
So, as a Leader for those around you and for yourself, you owe it to them and you to find the tools, to find a way, to make it happen.
There are many different ways to find the tools….
• Role model someone who is already achieving what you want to do. Work out their strategies, beliefs, values and implement that, adjusting as you go along the way, as you make mistakes and fall into the pitfalls.
• Read books and study techniques and strategies to get you to where you want to be. Then implement them and learn from your mistakes.
• Be trained by an expert, who is willing to share all they know in order to assist you, who will walk by your side and share their pitfalls and mistakes so you don’t have to make too many of your own.
RESPONSE|ABILITY is key to being a Leader of not only yourself, but others.
This is such a big topic and with many different avenues to explore, I cannot do it justice in this post, but if you wish to find out more about RESPONSE|ABILITY then please reach out and connect with me.
You may also be very interested in a 6 week, online, Leadership of Self program I am just launching, where I am looking for 10 candidates who are committed, dedicated and inspired to become the very best Leaders of Themselves that they can be. Places are limited to 10 people for this launch and the benefit of being one of the 10 is that the investment required for this initial program is HEAVILY reduced.
If you are interested in having a chat and discussing these concepts of the program further, please comment below or email me steve@iamenoughcoaching.com
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