What Does Leadership Mean To You?

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. -John Quincy Adams

I had lunch with a former colleague the other day and when I asked him about how things were going at work he launched into a story about how his manager – who is very concerned with perceptions – has been reprimanding him for his out-spokenness. Apparently, the manager did not perceive voicing a dissenting opinion during a meeting as good leadership. Now I thought this was a major crock of BS. Being strong enough to share an unfavorable outlook is, in my opinion, a great leadership trait. But what really bothered me was that my friend was being forced into someone else’s idea of what leadership truly means.

I believe leadership is one of those terms that is bandied about quite loosely. Everywhere you turn you hear about which leadership qualities we should be working on and which leaders we should admire. However, I believe that leadership and how one defines it is a completely personal thing and can totally vary from person to person. By attempting to squeeze into a narrow “leadership” box, we’re trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. And we all know how I feel about living up to other people’s expectations.

Here’s an exercise. Get a blank piece of paper and bullet out what being a leader means to you. Does it mean only working on projects you find interesting and noble? Does it mean being an inspiration to others by following your heart? Does it mean always being honest and out-spoken? Or maybe it means always taking risks and being bold. Remember you don’t have to have a fancy job title and a company car to be a leader. There are probably at least 3 people right now who already think of you as a leader. Identify what leadership means for you and then harness it. Strive to perform your specific leadership qualities everyday. By being in touch with your true leadership qualities, you’ll be much better off than those who are simply trying to fit into someone else’s idea of leadership.

Until Next Time,

Nailah

Friday Wrap-up: The OMG it’s Valentine’s Day Already Edition

Good morning! I hope you all are staying warm and dry wherever you may be today. As usual here’s my list of links you may have missed this week.

Self Qualified and Degreeless: How to sneak in the back door of your career – The title says it all. It’s not easy but it’s definitely possible to blaze your own trail.

How Do you Want to Lead Your Life – Are you following someone else’s definition of leadership? Good article on defining what leadership means to you

12 Classic Zen Habits Post You May Have Missed – One of my favorite bloggers revisits some of his favorite blog posts.

How To Write A Cover Letter So It Actually Gets Read – I’ll admit. I’m really bad at writing cover letters. My sophmore year of college I only applied to internships that didn’t require me to send in a cover letter. This article helped me a lot and also made me cringe at all the mistakes I’ve made in the past! (Ahhh…that’s why I didn’t get that job!)

Heart is Hot – This could be a very sweet Valentine’s day (or sweet any day gift). You buy a heart, register the serial number online, tell your story pass it on to someone else. They log on tell their giving/receiving story and the love is continuously passed on.

How to Have Better Dinner Conversations – Don’t be a wallflower at your next dinner party. Great tips to becoming a stunning conversationalist

Did you read anything this week worth sharing? Send it my way!

Have a beautiful Valentine’s Day weekend and a great President’s Day! And Happy Family Day for my Canadian readers.

Until Next Time,

Nailah