“It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is.”~Desiderius Erasmus
Much of our struggle comes from the desire to be something other than what and who we are. Somehow we are engrained with the thought that we need to be different – that who we are is inherently wrong for the situation.
So often my clients ask me what is the “best” way to lead. They observe others in their organization and say, “I want to lead exactly like that,” or they see me present in front of an audience, and say, “I want to be just like you in the front of the room.” So often they’re searching for the “best” way to lead, present, manage, parent, and relate. The “best” way to walk through life.
I disagree with them, and I tell them so. The greatest way to do all those things is to do so as oneself – playing on one’s own strengths, personality, and approach. Sure, there are best practices, enhanced skills, and tools that can be applied in nearly every situation, and they are all important. However, the clients that I see soar and achieve are the ones who learn to be truly who and how they are, and move, act, lead, and learn from there.
We always have the choice – to either be dissatisfied with ourselves and striving to be something different, or to be satisfied with ourselves and striving to be something more. The second choice brings more happiness…and more success.
Find your own strengths and appreciate them, build them, and lead from them.
Where are you trying to be different from who you are? How can you be more accepting and embracing of yourself? Please leave a comment.
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.
For support in being more satisfied – and moving forward from there – yourself contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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