Yeah - it really is that easy.
Let me explain.
Think of all the leaders you know. I bet there are a lot of them. What makes them standout? How many of them are exactly alike? How many of them would respond to conflict the exact same way as you? I could go on and on with the questions. The point is that we are all unique and we all bring something different.
Try this: Go to www.google.com and search leadership. How many results came up? 4.7 BILLION for me....in 0.56 seconds. Now search, "How many leaders are there?" I show 1.4 BILLION results!
What does this tell us? This is what I think....
We need to stop trying to be someone else.
We all have values and priorities in our life. Mine are different than yours and that is fine. I am going to approach situations in a certain manner. You may agree with my approach, you may not. That's fine. If there is one thing I have learned since becoming an executive coach and advisor it is that success and happiness come when we define and become who we were meant to be. Not someone else - but who we are supposed to be.
We need to become okay with the fact that our journey will take us to different places.
There is a massive advantage to perspective. My life has taken me to many places. Doesn't matter if they were good or bad - they were experiences I was meant to live. Those experiences give me a perspective that is unique to me. How did I end up where I did today? No clue. I never thought what I am doing today was possible. For the longest time I struggled with looking at others and desired to "be where they are." Reality is, I don't know what they did to get to where they are....and there is no guarantee that I would be happy if I actually accomplished or obtained what others had.
We need to love who we are.
Seriously. You need to love who you are. You are amazing and you bring something to your environment that no one else can. No, I'm not blowing smoke up your ass. You really are special. We need to start loving people for who they are. I don't care if you 'like' them or 'agree' with them. Seriously - I don't care. As Marshall Goldsmith says getting mad at others is like getting mad at a chair for being a chair. People are who they are. Love them for that. Doesn't mean you need to keep them around - but I do think we would all benefit from accepting and loving people for who they are.
We need to do better with our relationships.
It really doesn't matter what authors you read, what magazines you look to, or what podcasts you listen to. You are going to hear the same or similar things when it comes to learning how to be an effective leader. Bottom line is this - we need to do better at developing relationships with others. I'm not going to tell you that you need to go on vacation with your co-workers, but we do need to know who they are, what makes them tick, what are they passionate about, etc.
I feel like I could go on and on with "we need to..." but what I really want to stress is the value of you being you. Over time, there have been millions of people who we would call leaders that others should strive to be. But here is the thing. They were all being themselves. Sure, they may have had positive influencers in their life, but I can guarantee they took the lessons they were taught and applied them through their own unique lens.
Leadership comes from the heart. Leadership comes from those we connect with and influence. We all have the ability to make the choice as to how we interact with those we come into contact with. As of today, there are 7.8 Billion people in the world. If you don't connect with those around you, find someone else to associate with. I want you to have the mindset that you can be you and be successful - whatever that means to you. I just want you to be happy doing what you love. Again, it is going to look different for everyone - and that is okay!
Here's to an amazing 2023! I am looking forward to hearing and seeing all of the great things each of YOU do!
~Jason