What Does Leadership Mean To Me and Where Can I Expand My Leadership Role?
Questions have power! 32 Questions: A Personal Quest Through Questions is my book. This is your invitation to engage with important questions to ask yourself. This week is all about Question #10 in 32 Questions: What does leadership mean to me and where can I expand my leadership role? Leadership is one of those words that people use all the time. It can be a hard word to define. How do you define leadership? Have you thought about it? I am a firm believer that there is power in being clear about how we understand words. Clarity is power. I define leadership as influence. Leadership is influence with people we are in a relationship with. Influence means the ability to affect the character, development, or behavior of someone we have a relationship with. Do you see yourself as a leader? Leadership isn’t something that is reserved for people in paid positions. Leadership is skills, habits, and patterns for everyone who works with, lives with, or interacts with people! Leadership is a relational skill. You are a leader. You are an influencer to someone, whether you acknowledge it or not. Seeing yourself as a leader can be a powerful shift. Leaders lead.Leaders made decisions.Leaders influence people.Leaders start things. Stepping into your role as a leader is another tool that helps move us from reactive to responsive living. Within the role of a leader is the responsibility to take the “responsive pause” before making decisions. Leaders make intentional decisions rather than letting decisions make them.What shifts would happen if you started to see yourself as a leader? A leader in your family, a leader in your neighborhood, a leader in a friendship or a leader in a classroom. When leadership is defined as influence there is room for everyone at the table. Leadership is not a role just for one or two “professional leaders.” Leadership is acknowledging our power and significance in any relationship. You have a unique and important perspective to bring in any group. What does leadership mean to you? Where can you start to see yourself as more of a leader? How will that change how you approach and think about your part in that group? One more thing: Self-Leadership is a thing! If NOTHING else be a leader for yourself. . . Make decisions, don’t let decisions make you. Think about how you influence those around you and do it with thoughtful intention. Be an instigator of positive change for yourself and see what happens in your sphere of influence! I love these words from Marianne Williamson, I think they are a call to leadership. Our Greatest Fear —It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens usOur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world.There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that otherpeople won’t feel insecure around you.We were born to make manifest the glory ofGod that is within us.It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.And as we let our own light shine,we unconsciously give other peoplepermission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,Our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” Dolly Parton “Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.” Margaret Wheatley “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” -Rosalynn Carter Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.
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