On Becoming an Inspirational Leader Part 5: It starts with leading yourself first
When it comes to inspiring leadership and what this means, our minds can easily drift towards some mystical fantasies that seem “superhuman”. People that seem to have all the answers, see the future, have it all together, never put a foot wrong – people that others love to follow. Characteristics that put being an inspiring leader outside the realm of possibility for most of us, it seems.
We don’t believe this. You can be an inspiring leader when you know what to focus on and develop. We believe that many people are inspiring because of the example they set; as a result of their consistency and reliability. They are great leaders because they lead themselves well.
Your ability to lead others will never be greater than your ability to lead yourself. Self-leadership matters because people don’t only listen to what you say, they look at how you conduct yourself. What you do outside the office matters just as much as what you do inside. When you live with discipline, integrity, and purpose (consistently), their respect, trust and willingness to follow you, follows.
Here are five areas of self-leadership that you should start paying attention to if you want to be an inspiring leader:
1. You need to see yourself as a leader: You will not act like a leader others love to follow until you start seeing yourself as a leader. If they are honest, most people in leadership positions will tell you that they often don’t have all the answers. Imposter syndrome is very real. It’s not just you that feels out of your depth. There is no such thing as a “sort-of” leader. Being a leader has nothing to do with titles or positions – it is all about influence. If you are alive, you have influence. Therefore, you are a leader. It starts with believing that you are a leader.
2. Always be working on something: The best way through imposter syndrome is getting better. You always need to have something specific in mind that you are working on to improve. This could be your ability to listen, planning, empowering others or releasing control. The only way to improve is to be very specific in what you need to develop and to involve others in keeping you accountable to do the work. Let others in on what you are working on. Ask for continuous feedback. Admit you don’t know it all. Get better.
3. Pay attention to what you pay attention to: What you consume will come through in your leadership. If you live on a diet of junk food information – news, reality shows, entertainment, negativity, and mindless distractions – this will show up in your leadership. Like eating healthy food, fill your mind with high quality content (like our Weekly tips to challenge ordinary) if you want to grow and improve. You will struggle to set a good example if your mind isn’t filled with the best on offer.
4. Attempt something new: You won’t get better if you do what you always did. You get better by doing more of what you’ve done in the past or when you do something different. A great way to maintain a learning, humble, beginner’s mindset is to purposefully put yourself in novel situations. Look for opportunities to grow in new or unrelated areas of life – learn to dance, surf, or fly a plane. This way you won’t get stuck, arrogant or convince yourself that you always must be in control.
5. Be selective about your circle: It’s a cliché, but clichés are very often true: you become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Hang out with people that set good examples. People that are smarter, wiser and more experienced than you if you want to develop. Find a mentor that can help you navigate the road you want to get on. Spend time with growth-minded people that push you forward instead of the crowd that wants to hold you back.
To lead well, you need to lead yourself first.
Inspiring leaders are not inspirational by accident – they do things differently on purpose. And so can you. But it is up to you to take up the challenge: will you become a leader that people would love to follow?
The Takeaway
Anybody can become an inspirational leader if you know what to focus on. This starts with leading yourself well.
PurposeWorks offers a 10-week in-depth leadership coaching course that is aimed at developing inspiring leaders that people love to follow. If you are interested and want to know more talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
