Two weeks ago I posted about how prior to August 2014, my leadership role was pretty straight forward. I had worked out the meaning of leadership in the position I held. I had returned to school to figure it out, and had taken The Leadership Challenge workshop and facilitator’s training to cement my thinking. Then things changed. I went being responsible for leading a team of 20, to being responsible for no-one; to being seen as a leader within an organization, to not being part of an organization. I was struck with this realization when I was asked to describe my current personal leadership challenge for The Leadership Challenge workshop I was attending. My initial reaction was to think, “I’m no longer a leader, I am no longer leading anyone.”
My leadership challenge became trying to discover what my role as a leader is now in this new situation. I stated that I thought this would ultimately change my view of what leadership is all about. I don’t think that is true, I believe it is expanding what my view of leadership is about and that’s a much better place to be in.
In a recent blog posted on The Leadership Challenge’s website Renee Harness stated “The challenge for all of us as leaders is to ask ourselves, ‘What am I passionate about and how can I deploy that passion to make the world better?’ ” (http://tinyurl.com/ogeqykl). This became my starting point as I thought about this over the last two weeks. It is still a starting point and I encourage you to add your own thoughts in the comments section. This is what I have come up with so far:
- If you really believe that what you have to offer has value, you are showing leadership by being a resource to others.
- You can provide leadership through your consulting or coaching practice (or anything else for that matter) by Modeling the Way in what you are doing (Kouzes and Posner).
- If “Leadership is doing things right” (Drucker) then do whatever you are doing with consistency and authenticity.
- Enable and encourage others leadership by demonstrating your own.
- Figure out what you are passionate about and then act on it. Find a way to use that passion constructively. If you don’t know what you are passionate about, find a coach to help you.
- Find validity in what you are doing. Listen to what others are saying, look for the small wins, they add up quickly.
