Leadership

We are all leaders in many different ways in our lives, regardless of positions or titles, when we influence and work with others to accomplish goals. For roles that are outside of our culture’s specific titles or authority it can be harder to understand and apply the work of leadership. Doing that work with insight into yourself and other people, along with being deliberate about applying leadership skills makes for more effective work and less burnout.

What is Leadership?

In our society leadership is often confused with authority. Leadership is focused on working with and guiding others to accomplish goals. It is inherently collaborative. Authority is when someone has control over something. While we would hope that people in positions of authority also understand leadership, that is not always the case. Whether you have authority or not, you lead in many ways every day, be that informally in a work or organizational setting, in your family, amongst your friends, etc.

Another aspect of leadership is self-leadership, that is leading yourself. Understanding yourself and how to accomplish your own goals is the foundation for being able to lead others effectively. Many people focus on how to influence others without stopping to consider who they are, what they really want, and how they themselves are influenced by others. The core to solving most leadership problems starts with yourself; who you are is how you lead.

When I work with people, whether they are focused on leadership goals specifically or not, we will always start with self-awareness. In order to find your path forward and acheive your goals, you need to understand who you are and the best path for how you approach the world. For those who are pursuing leadership goals, this is the foundation for how you will be more effective and healthier in that pursuit.