Some people understand leadership to be like an article of clothing. They believe they can put leadership on or take it off as they need it.
Some of us see a quality or skill in a window and decide to add it to our leadership ensemble. They may add a scarf or shoes to their leadership wardrobe to give it some flair. They have a leadership style. Some people tend to be basic nuts & bolts leaders, while others tend to be more trendy.
For some people, leadership is like a layer of skin they can add or shed when it is necessary. They believe they know how strong leaders look and act and they can slip into and out of their leadership selves.
Carl Sandburg wrote that, “Life is like an onion; you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.”
Leadership is deeper than what we wear, deeper than our own skin. Leadership comes in many different packages; it is what is inside that counts.
I have learned a lot from leaders who inspire me, but none of them has given me a template to follow. Each one has shown me that my leadership is a reflection of who I am. The challenges I have faced, the lessons I have learned, center on getting to know myself well enough to lead.
While we can always learn more about leadership, it is not outside-in. Leadership is comes from the inside out.
As we explore and discover the deepest pools of ourselves, we become the leaders we have the potential to be. We are able to recognize and appreciate who we are, not who we are supposed to be. Like an onion, we are more than skin deep.
How deep is your leadership?
Who helps you overcome the obstacles to knowing yourself well enough to lead?
[Image by Jun Seita]
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