Leadership Thought #325 – Be True To Your Own Voice
Leaders often get into trouble when they try to be someone they are not. Your job is to be the best YOU that you can be. Trying to be someone else is inauthentic. You can improve, but don’t forget your values, passions, and identity. Everyone needs to be true to his or her own voice.
People want to follow leaders they trust and believe will move things in a positive direction. Approximately 80% of the population wants to follow someone else’s lead. They want to identify with that person’s values and feel comfortable that the right motivations drive them. Unfortunately, there is a sense that many of our public leaders have let us down, and an understandable skepticism has spread throughout society. The best way to counter this mindset is for leaders to be fully transparent about who they are and why they want to lead. You can’t fake this or get there using carefully scripted talking points.
People will forgive many things if they believe your intentions are pure. No one expects perfection, but they do want compassion, competence, consistency, confidence, resilience, and determination. We all understand that things may get off track sometimes, but will you have what it takes to get them back on track? Will you do what is required or what is expedient? Are you focused on the greater good or your advancement? Will you have their back or run for cover when times get tough?
The only way to be great at something is to genuinely care about the outcome. To care about the outcome, you must focus on something that truly connects with your values and who you are. To lead others there, you need a compelling reason for doing what you do. No one else can create this dynamic for you. All they can do is increase your style points. You must feel it within the depths of your character and be true to your own voice!
Related articles
- How Is Your View of People? (kevinwmccarthy.com)
- Leadership (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)
- Leader’s Lead (capacity-building.com)
- Leadership Attribution Error (colleensharen.wordpress.com)
- Are You For Real? Being Authentic In An Inauthentic World (listentomethunder.wordpress.com)
