Leading Yoself

Doing the work, especially inner work takes patience. Seeing the results or recognizing growth, takes time. My schedule last month changed drastically, throwing up a lot of mental resistance and frustration within the adjustment period. It presented an opportunity to observe and put into action piece by piece what I have been trying to develop; stronger self belief. When we first resist change, viewing that window, the opportunity for growth, can get somewhat fogged up by frustration and a loss of control.

I have been learning about team leadership. Things like, roles within teams, traits of good leaders, differences between managers and leaders, styles of leading. It got me thinking, how can we lead ourselves better? How can we be our own best team mate. Passing the baton from strength to strength and back again, growing our network of skills. We CAN learn to lead. Go team Numero Uno!

Knowing your team well and identifying its strengths and possible weaknesses is key. Having a clear path, understanding the phases of developing your team, leading it through support, encouragement, communication, empowering the team to keep momentum and improve, reaching and striving. These can all be applied to ourselves. Knowing who we are are, identifying where we have power and strength, working on strengthening perceived weaker areas. Having clarity, understanding it isn’t always plain sailing. Supporting ourselves through self care, encouraging acknowledgement and celebrating the wins, stoking our fires. Learning.Cheering. Championing.

I had to complete the Belbin self-perception inventory , on this leadership course I am taking. This identifies through a points system, over seven sections of scenarios, where your preferred team roles lie. There are nine team roles in Belbin’s model. Later the class set out to complete various team tasks, building objects within specific briefs. We then further analyzed which role each person took up within the briefs. Shortly we are going to be subjected to psychometric testing, ‘nailing’ our personality to 95%. WELL! Initial thoughts on these results, viewed roles taken, and impending testing….NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER! Intense feelings of unjust. Why? I don’t like being pigeon holed. Rick ‘em, rock ‘em, rake! Stick that sword into that snake!

Fast forward a week, having completed a CV and Interview skills course, I’m feeling a little differently about it all. Hello objective perspective my ol’ buddy, ol’ pal! I partook in a mock interview which was filmed, and a real interview opportunity which was not filmed, all within the same week.

In the mock situation I was allowed to choose any job I wanted, it didn’t have to be real. Armed with a list of interview questions, AND the reasoning behind why an interviewer may ask a certain question along with sheets of positive vocabulary, off I toddled to prepare. It was pretty evident upon reviewing of the footage, with my mentors, how much I believed in myself, for this role, how I was able to identify my strengths, skills and really appreciate all I had done in my previous role, and apply it to this dream job. The clarity, how proud I felt of myself, it was gold. I felt like, WHO is she? WHO is THAT girl?I want to be like her…oh wait! I am her! WOW. An objective look at myself for the win.

In contrast I attended a real interview only a few hours later. An opportunity somewhat based in my old field. I was now confident in my abilities and skills. They on the other hand, had no clarity of the role, no clear line of questioning, filling air space with a bunch of buzz words to mask that fact. I learned although I was capable, it was not in line with my path, and that I am ready to leave the corporate life behind. Eeeek! Holy VanMoley! WHO AM I?

As I explore my path, I am learning to use tools along my journey. Last month I spoke about my future-self journaling, a tool I am consistently using daily. In fact, I applied it in choosing my mock interview; I self-projected myself into the role I was going for. I have collected a new tool to add to my arsenal. Power Posing. Yes my friends! Research has shown how this is extremely effective, and that it WORKS. Go check out Dr. Amy Cuddy, she has done wonderful research on it. Click link in her name to view TedTalk. How do you use it? Choose a power pose, do it for 2 mins right before anything you are nervous about, this could be a review, date, interview, meeting, presentation, class, hell even before going to lift at PB at the gym! Rest period, power pose it out! PP strong!

Back to my initial feelings of being pigeon holed. What did the interviews teach me? Roles were just strengths; they don’t define who I can become. When I ask the right questions, I have right the answers. I have many strengths yet to be uncovered, yet to be seen. I can only be pigeon holed if I do not see my own potential. Identifying, encouraging, leading, empowering, acknowledging, celebrating, growing, uncovering. We all have the ability to lead ourselves, by getting down to the brass tax of getting to know who we are, and challenging what we are made of by asking ourselves to do so.

Folk, lets get to know ourselves better, commit to love ourselves, celebrate and lead ourselves through the knowledge of our power. Get crafty with our tools. We are powerful, we are capable, we are able, we are strong, we have it in us to be authentic in our lives, and ask of ourselves to do so. Lead on my friends!