Leadership is Painting the Big Picture

Leadership is Painting the Big Picture August 12, 2014

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Leaders translate values and principles into everyday reality.

The leaders who inspire me lead by example. They learn how to lead other people and organizations by leading themselves first.

We need to see the picture before we can paint it.

The first step in becoming a leader each day is knowing your own core values.

People who do not know themselves are not able to lead themselves, or anyone else. Knowing who you are, discovering your own values, takes time.

It is like getting to know anyone else. It takes time and skill to work past the assumptions and expectations. We need to see through the images we would like to project, even to ourselves. We spend time with ourselves, listening well.

It can be a challenge, because we might avoid seeing ourselves too clearly.

As the picture becomes clearer, we begin to paint.

As we come to know our true selves, we share ourselves with the people around us. We do not usually share all of ourselves with everyone. We translate our picture to work with their media. We may be uncovering an oil painting, while they may be watercolor people. We may see a mural, while they may be designing an app.

We may share part of our picture with them to whet their appetite for more.

The work we put into sharing helps us see our picture even more clearly.

Together, we see the big picture more completely.

We work together to paint the picture in new, more creative ways. The people with whom we share our picture also share with the people around them.

We do not lead because we are the only ones who see the picture. We lead as we remember how the picture really looks.

What does the big picture of your leadership look like?

How will you translate your values into reality today?

[Image by JD Hancock]


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