This offers another segment in our series on Bill George’s Authentic Leadership. I strongly suggest you buy the book and study it using the downloadable study guides..Developing and practicing leadership skills can help you get a better job whether in management, union, or civic organizations.
Bill George wrote in True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership “Discovering our authentic leadership requires us to test ourselves, our values, and our beliefs through real-world experiences. This is not an easy process as we are constantly buffered by the demands of the external world, the model of success that others hold out for us and our search to discover our truth.
Use a Compass to Stay on Track to Authentic Leadership
I quote the authors again “Because there is no map or direct path between where you are no and where you will go on your leadership journey, you need a compass to keep you focused on your True North and get back on track when you are pulled off by external forces or are at risk of being derailed.”
The compass is a dynamic tool that you can update and calibrate after every experience to ensure that each step you take on your leadership journey is consistent with how you want to lead your life. Because your circumstance, opportunities, and the world around you are always changing, you will never stop calibrating your compass.”
5 Areas of Personal Development for Authentic Leadership
Authentic leadership finds root in each person differently. Your authentic leadership differs from mine or your neighbors. They key to discovering your authentic leadership lies in exploring 5 areas of personal development. The answers help you determine your authentic leadership. Once again, I recommend you read the whole book. The authors illustrate their principles with stories from famous leaders
The five areas include the following. The questions will help you discover your authentic leadership. I will explain one today, 2 on Wednesday, & 2 more on Friday:
- Self-Awareness; What is my story? What are my strengths and developmental needs? “Leaders sad that gaining self-awareness was central to becoming authentic leaders. For this reason it is at the center of your compass. When you know yourself, you can find the passion that motivates you and the purpose of your leadership.”
- While intellectual intelligence, or IQ, has long been thought of as an essential characteristic for managers, EQ (emotional intelligence) may be more important for authentic leaders.
- Leaders stated several reasons why knowing yourself was so important:
- Finding the right role
- Increasing self-confidence
- Being consistent
- Connecting with others
- Identifying complimentary skills
- Peeling back the onion: “Knowing yourself can be compared to peeling back the layers of an onion as you search for your true self. Understanding your outer layers is a necessary first step to going deeper into what lies beneath, because they provide the access to your inner core.
- “Next in the process of gaining self-awareness is taking time for personal reflection and introspection. Reflecting on your life story and your experiences can help you understand them at a deeper level00and so you can reframe your life story in a more coherent way as your future.direction becomes congruent with the knowledge of who you are and the kind of person you want to become.
- Values: When are my most deeply held values? What principles guide my leadership? /
- Motivations: What motivates me? How do I balance external and internal motivations?
- Support Teams: Who are the people I can count on to guide & support me along the way?
- Integrated Life: How can I integrate all aspects of my life and find fulfillment?
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