“The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
~Joseph Campbell

One of the key tenets of Thoughtful Leadership is to be authentic.

Too often someone tells us about the “right” way we should be, or the “best” way to show up in a situation. Too often we learn that there is a first instinct that is better than our own, or a leadership style that we must adopt in order to be effective.

And too often these aren’t true.

As I explain often, while we teach best practices around intra- and interpersonal skills, and effective ways to accomplish nearly every management or leadership task, there is never, or at least very rarely, one right way to do anything. While I can lecture on how to give feedback, or delegate, or coach, there are guidelines to follow and rules to keep in mind, but again, there is no one right way to do these things.

We remind our clients that they have to find their own way of doing things. They don’t have to reinvent the wheel or start from scratch, but they have to find a way to be true to who they are as they lead, or manage, or simply engage with others.

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are – in how you lead, in how you follow, in how you live day-to-day. What a privilege it is to find your authentic way to do things, that feels most comfortable and rings most true to you. What a privilege it is to build a life that allows you to be who you are, and, in fact, is arranged around your strengths and delights, so that you can be your most successful and you can have your most fun while you’re at it.

Authenticity is about learning to lead as you, and live as you. And to allow those you’re leading to do the same.

How do you let yourself be your best self?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


If you want to be a more successful you, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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