One of my favorite thought leaders on leadership is Lilly Daskal. She posted a blog recently that was focused on the fact that “you are the leadership message.” Here are 3 of the 9 different messages highlighted in the article that stand out for me:
- You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself
- It’s not just what happens to you that determines how far you will go; it is also how you handle what happens to you
- Persistence will get you there; consistency will keep you there
What really struck me was her quote which was “Your leadership narrative is created by being who you are.”
Have you thought about that before? Who are you being during the good times and the bad times? Do you act consistently no matter what is occurring around you? Are you giving people your best? This is something to reflect on as you go through each day. Being consistent is a key attribute of a leader that people rely on to help them have stability during change. It helps the people around you to know that their leader will get them through. You may not think that people notice, but they are always watching you and how you behave. You become known for how you handle the situations that are stressful, ambiguous, and chaotic at times.
How do you want people to see you in challenging situations? Does your behavior line up with that picture of yourself? What would you do differently the next time a similar situation occurs? What messages do you want to send? Having this awareness is a really big piece of changing the narrative. It will be uncomfortable at times, but in a good way. Just remember that you don’t have to change everything at once. Try things out and experiment to see if they work for you. You get to make the choice every day of how you are going to show up and what your attitude will be. The choice is completely up to you.