There isn’t one way to success. Leadership advice isn’t ironclad. There’s no single trend, quality or rulebook that guarantees your success – it doesn’t exist (and it never did!).
Don’t waste any more time in 2018 trying to fit into some other leader’s mold. Emulating exactly what led to their success won’t work for you. Why? Because you’re not like them.
Instead, turn your focus to what will define success for you, a bespoke model of leadership, one that comes from discovering the one-of-a-kind set of skills, talents and abilities that you lead with.
There is a straightforward way you can discover and embody the values, talents and skills that power your leadership success in 2018, and it starts with:
Listing the Pivot Points
Think back on your career. You’ve had many moments that caused you to act, and make a decision for good or ill. These are your pivot points. These taught you something about yourself, about how you think and lead. List those that stand out and change the direction of your life.
Self-Reflection Illuminates the Secrets Within
Take a few minutes and whatever you think of your choices, then acknowledge that they taught you something about yourself. Write a few lines about why that moment mattered, how it changed your life, your mind or both.
See Things with A Grateful Eye
It isn’t that you can’t learn from others’ advice and perspective. The trick is to see those experiences through the lens of gratitude and then tailor the advice to mirror your own experiences, style and needs. Survey people whose perspective you value. Include people in that group whose perspective on things differs from your own. Hearing divergent perspectives helps highlight opportunities your biases keep you from seeing.
Unpack the Insights
This is where you’ll put it all together. Reflect on your own observations and the feedback you received from others. Unpack the insights by creating a list of tweaks and game changers, and plan your next steps for 2018 to become the most successful leader you can be.
There isn’t one right way to do this. And if there isn’t one right way to do this, you might be wondering if you’re on the right track. You might even be feeling overwhelmed.
If so, I’ve created a FREE resource – a Lead With IT Kit © workbook – that you can download to help walk you through the process.
I hope you give it a try in 2018. I promise you will learn what you lead with, and it will open doors that you never imagined possible.