Becoming the leader you want to be
About this time of year, I’m asking the leaders I work with what they want to be known for by the end of the year. It’s a handy way of setting a light on the hill for medium term personal growth, and as you go through your year you can keep checking in with yourself about how the things you are doing are helping you become that leader you want to be known for. I’ve been really inspired over the last few weeks; so many leaders I’m working with talk about empowering as the thing they want to be known for this year.
It’s got me thinking about how to bring that to life. It’s nice to have your big word for the year and to feel inspired by it, so how do you get moving on it? Two things I think are worth considering are positioning and practice. While you’ll have your own big word for the year, for the sake of an example I’ll use empowering.
Positioning is the idea that, in the way you talk about and conduct yourself, you get known as a person who’s all about that big word. It’s being clear about what you stand for and sharing that with the world. So, if what you want to be known for is an empowering leader, you’d probably be talking loud and often about the benefits of an empowering style, about opportunities to empower people more, asking what you and your team can do to be modelling an empowered environment, about what empowering even means…you get the picture. Positioning is important because it nudges us – in both conscious and subconscious ways – to be consistent with what we’re telling the world we stand for. You’ll know you are making an impact when you start hearing other people talk about you as the go-to person for insights about what works for empowering people.
Practice is the liberating idea that you’ll probably never be perfect at this, but that growth is all about taking deliberate steps and building momentum towards your big word. Essentially, what are you doing about that thing you’re telling the world you stand for? Practice is important because it creates momentum, giving us a sense of progress. Our brains love progress – knowing you’ve taken steps forward on something that is meaningful to you each day is a key contributor to motivation and engagement. To make that happen, start taking action through visible practice that brings your big word to life. What will you experiment with that is in service of you becoming a more empowering leader? What small thing could you try with your team this fortnight that contributes to a more empowered team environment? What are people seeing that tells them you're serious about making this real?
Positioning without practice means you get known as someone who’s got a nice idea, but nobody feels the impact of you bringing it alive in the world.
Practice without positioning means people see you do cool stuff without really knowing why, what purpose it serves, and what they could learn from it.
Which all gets us to 3 questions:
What do you want to be known for by the end of this year?
What are you sharing with the world that positions you as someone who stands for that quality or attribute?
What practical things are you trying out to bring that attribute alive in your world?