How to become the leader you aspire to be
Every person has heroes and leaders that they look up to and aspire to become. However, there comes a time when a leader must recognize that the person who they should be learning from is staring right back at them in the mirror. In committing themselves to more self-reflection, leaders can become their most authentic selves and empower others to do the same.
In a recent article from Art Petty, he asks leaders the question, ‘How will you describe the leader you aspire to be?’ To help with this question, Petty provides suggestions to find those early influences for who you are and marry them to your future aspirations, to ultimately develop a better understanding of your desired self. These tactics include:
- Exploring your leadership aspirations through thinking and journaling on your experiences and what you want out of life;
- Reflecting on your best self by identifying specific situations where you felt your most authentic self shines through;
- Identifying what’s most important within your leadership aspirations; and
- Sharing your leadership narrative with team members so they have a contextual understanding of your leadership qualities.
Self-reflection requires honesty, humility, and commitment to yourself, all of which take a level of practice. Regularly implementing these tactics will help you engage in meaningful conversations with yourself and those you lead. By laying out the qualities you want to have as a leader through your own core beliefs, those same thoughts will become your reality. In the end, the world becomes a little bit better when people embrace who they are and can learn to better themselves through their own lens.