06 Sep Leadership: Choosing the Right Color?
We as individuals, leaders, managers, or being on a corporate team are bombarded by endless leadership advice and counsel. Some of it, free. Some, you’ll have to pay. The sampling of color choices is endless; “do this, don’t do that, act this way, don’t act that way, things you should do, not do, think this way, think that, tell people this, oh, not that… just use the quick 3-7 step list”. The list gets longer. At the end of day, we are hit with another 15 new items we must do (or we are told, we will fail). One would think, leadership is reaching a proficiency nirvana. Perhaps, we are overloaded.
There are endless “wish-list” qualities, characteristics, performance formulas, competencies, emotional platforms, aptitude and attitude checks, head and heart leadership “musts” – the choice for our right color (where we shine the best) has become a lifelong pursuit…feeling discouraged that we never got there. We want to become instant great leaders with a pre-cooked quick fix – or swallow this leadership mega-vitamin – or take this leadership steroid that will boost business performance quickly. We want to lead more, develop more, innovate more, direct more, be more purposeful, make more of a difference, more responsibility, influence more, express more, advance more and make more money. No wonder it’s hard to pick the right color!
Add a primer first, then a second leadership glossy coat, maybe a third? Oops, wrong color, need to start again! Here’s another color sample… see if this blends in with your personality and leadership décor.
We can’t make up our minds because we don’t know what to do first. The colors of leadership are never-ending. We often try to paint ourselves to be people that we are not. As truth be told, we are wired ways to do certain things well and not well. Why do we spend so much time working on things that we are intuitively not good at?
Quit pretending. We are so focused on self-improvement and implementation with the “doing”, we forget “being”. Just be. Being before doing. Unwind a bit – as an ordinary human – and begin to understand and use your instinctive – exceptionally designed gifts and talents. Don’t misunderstand, there are hard and soft skills we can learn to be more effective and efficient in our roles and these can be helpful.
Yet, at the core, never forget to be you!
Get to know your inherent – innate strengths. Discern what is “right” about you. Spend time investing and developing your talents for becoming a better person – of who you already are. Cease from painting yourself a color to be someone you’re not. You don’t have to become someone different to live a purposeful and fulfilling life. You don’t have to be all things to all people.
Today and tomorrow, pick unique you – offering your distinctive strengths to strengthen others. When life and work are focused on sharing what you enjoy and do best, you enhance lives around you. Yes, serving others with your talents. Encouraging people from every walk of life. Improving the bottom line for any organization. Engage your strengths and thrive in your vocation. Transform the marketplace
Lead with purpose and your strengths: that’s your true color.