Like the tallest skyscrapers, leadership is built in stories. Each next act of leadership we take depends on the stories underneath it.
Our stories are important because we believe what they say about who we are.
Three stories in particular are essential to the foundation of our leadership.
The Story of Why
Your leadership story of why is an essential element of understanding you as a leader.
You may be a leader because you respond to suffering or injustice. You may be a leader because of your natural abilities. You may be a leader because of a specific experience.
The people you lead need to appreciate your why story, and so do you. Your story of why is not obvious, not assumed, not clear unless you make it clear. You cannot make it clear to other people until it is clear to you.
What story describes why you are a leader?
The Story of Who
People have inspired, challenged, helped, shaped our leadership. People have shown us how we want to lead, and how we want to avoid leading. When I have faced difficulties, been discouraged, felt like quitting, it has been people who made the difference for me.
There have been people I know personally and people whose books and articles I have read. People have taught me the most important lessons in my life.
Who has shaped your leadership?
The Story of How
Our leadership is more than a list of accomplishments on our resume. Knowing how we have done things is often more helpful than knowing what we have done.
Leading people is more than telling them what to do. People often need to hear how you have done things yourself.
What are your leadership stories?
When will you share your leadership stories today?
[Image by haydnseek]
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