The best-kept secret of leadership is that there are a million ways to do it right. Everyone has the potential be a great leader. Not just some people. Everyone.
The simple formula for becoming a True Leader combines:
1. What you stand for, AND
2. What you’re great at, PLUS
3. Skills that make every leader better.
Why is this combination so powerful? It brings together your authentic self with time-proven leadership skills. It’s not about just you being you, hanging out, and being all casual about managing stuff. And it’s not just about tried and true leadership skills that don’t take into consideration who you are as a person. You need your principles, your superpowers, and your leadership skills working in harmony. They’re more than the sum of their parts. Kind of like the Power Rangers.
Your principles form the foundation of your identity. They’re the big things that you value and stand for. Like honesty, creativity, competitiveness, efficiency, spontaneity, and harmony.
Your superpowers are the strengths you’re known for. You’ll probably see these things show up in your resume. Stuff like managing, organizing, clarifying, auditing, negotiating, strategizing, innovating, and customizing.
Your leadership skills both enhance and strengthen who you are in service of those you lead. These 5 key traits common to all great leaders are: Compassion, Curiosity, Communication, Vision, and Resilience. Compassion, to let your team know you care about them and have their back; Curiosity, so your open mind allows you to be flexible; Communication, so you can hear and be heard; Vision, to know where you are leading your team; and Resilience, so you can bounce back from adversity, and support your team as they do the same.
True Leaders combine what they stand for with their strengths and leadership skills to form a unique version of leadership that is authentic to them. They know who they are, and they care about being good leaders. While the formula of principles + superpowers + leadership skills is the same for everyone, the results can be wildly different. And all great.
What’s your biggest takeaway from your favorite True Leader? Share it in the comments below!
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