| Times have changed and leadership is undergoing | | | | time do you spend with yourself? Yes, just you |
| an evolution. Leadership is no longer confined to | | | | doing things for yourself and only yourself. We |
| those at the top of organizations, indeed it is no | | | | often put ourselves at the bottom of our lists, |
| longer confined to those working within | | | | and can find ourselves easily giving our energy |
| organizations. Leadership is becoming an essential | | | | away to everyone else leaving little for ourselves. |
| skill for us all; it offers us many insights into how | | | | Make some time for you, get to know yourself |
| we as individuals become the leaders of our own | | | | again. Who are you? What do you really like to |
| lives, how we can harness the energy of our own | | | | do? What are your values? What is important to |
| internal leadership to enable us to show up with | | | | you to make your life a success? What would be |
| our whole selves to our lives, both professionally | | | | 100% for you? How can you make sure you are |
| and personally. | | | | not impersonating yourself but showing up with |
| Many motivational experts like to say that leaders | | | | your whole self to your life? Explore - you may |
| are made, not born and yet in many ways I | | | | learn something! |
| would argue the exact opposite. After working | | | | 2. Be humble - when you are humble you become |
| within corporate leadership development for many | | | | genuinely interested in others, you are good at |
| years I have come to realise that the skills of | | | | listening as you know that you can learn from |
| leadership are often about unlearning the things | | | | them. This humility allows you to develop your |
| that don't work for you as a leader, rather than | | | | curiosity, your thirst for knowledge, always |
| learning more of the latest tools and techniques. I | | | | wanting to better yourself, to improve and grow. |
| believe we are all natural born leaders that have | | | | When people sense you are genuinely interested |
| been deprogrammed along the way. As children | | | | in them, and listening to them, they will be |
| we were natural leaders; we knew what we | | | | naturally interested in you, listening actively to |
| wanted from life and with a vivid imagination and | | | | what you have to say. |
| a child's natural curiosity we were determined to | | | | 3. Follow your bliss - what makes you happy? |
| get what we wanted. Think of the children you | | | | What do you love to do? Regardless of how busy |
| know, I bet they have clarity, the ability to inspire, | | | | you are, always take the time to do what you |
| motivate and influence those around them, to | | | | love doing. When you are an alive, energetic |
| innocently engage others in helping them to | | | | person this vitalizes others, not to mention the |
| achieve their goals. So why is it so difficult to do | | | | affect it has on your own energy! Whatever it is |
| as adults? What happened to us along the way | | | | that brings you joy, set aside some time each |
| that means we need to read countless books, | | | | week to fulfill your passion - your life and the lives |
| and attend leadership development courses to | | | | of those around you will be all the richer for it. |
| find our way forward? | | | | 4. Dream big - if you want to be larger than life |
| I guess you could say we became socialized. As | | | | you need a dream that is larger than life. Small |
| children we became used to hearing "No", "Don't" | | | | dreams won't serve you or anyone else. It takes |
| and "Can't", our parents or other adults will have | | | | the same amount of time to dream big as it does |
| told us to be quiet, controlling our behavior until | | | | small so you may as well max it up! Write down |
| we learned what was acceptable to the adults | | | | your one biggest dream - the one that excites |
| around us. We went to school which reinforced | | | | you most. Go for gold - make it really big. Then |
| this learning, and many of us will have gone onto | | | | list every single reason why you CAN achieve |
| further education, which reinforces compliant | | | | your dream instead of worrying about why you |
| behavior, teaching us as students how to fit within | | | | can't. Remember, success comes in cans! |
| an institutionalized system, succeeding by | | | | 5. Vision - Life can feel directionless without a |
| achieving good grades. Unfortunately our | | | | vision. If you can't see yourself winning the award |
| mainstream education system doesn't teach | | | | or feel the tears of triumph running down your |
| students how to become leaders; instead of | | | | face its unlikely that you will get there. Time to |
| learning to become creative, independent, | | | | visualize your own personal dream and then to |
| self-reliant thinkers, most people learn how to | | | | experience what it would be like to accomplish |
| obey and follow the rules, and as a consequence | | | | your dream. Use all of your senses see it, hear it, |
| we lose contact with our inner selves. | | | | smell it, taste it and feel it happening deep within |
| The energy of your natural leadership lies hidden | | | | your body. Enjoy! |
| deep within, it remains there waiting to be | | | | 6. Be yourself - sounds so simple, but it can be |
| rediscovered, however much your light may have | | | | challenging to do! It may take a little unpacking |
| faded over the years. Finding it requires a process | | | | internally to understand what is you, and what |
| of unlearning, the courage to explore your own | | | | belongs to other people within your values, beliefs |
| inner attic, uncovering the dusty bookshelves | | | | and behaviors. Just know you are in there |
| where your childhood dreams lie and peeking | | | | somewhere. It can help to go back in time and |
| inside to your very core. It is time to honor your | | | | consider yourself as a child, before you were |
| inner child, to remember your unsocialized hopes | | | | impacted by countless people and life experiences. |
| for the future, of what mattered to you back | | | | Once you find yourself be yourself, be your best |
| then, what you wanted to achieve at the very | | | | self, always competing against yourself, seeking |
| heart of your soul. | | | | self-improvement. Become a first rate you |
| Take a moment to consider what has happened | | | | instead of a second rate somebody else. |
| to your childhood dreams? To those "unrealistic" | | | | 7. Radiate - Finally, be a radiator not a drain, to |
| ambitions you embraced, the passion you had for | | | | yourself and those around you. By radiating you |
| becoming or achieving something great? Perhaps | | | | give freely and activate a universal law "life gives |
| now is the time for them to rise again to the | | | | to the giver and takes from the taker". if you |
| surface, to find their energy, to motivate you to | | | | want more love, respect and support - give more |
| make some different choices? But first you need | | | | love, respect and support. Help others. Contribute |
| to reconnect and awaken the energy of | | | | to your local community. Be abundant, live |
| leadership which lies deep within. Here are some | | | | abundantly inviting others to do the same. As Sir |
| steps you can use to get back in touch with your | | | | Winston Churchill once said "We make a living by |
| own unique inner leader: | | | | what we get, we make a life by what we give". |
| 1.Build a relationship with yourself - how much | | | | So true. |