Do you lead the way you want to? Or: A no BS exercise in creating your personal leadership avatar and seeing the gap to get there

Do you come across as you want to? Is the way you are recognized aligned with how you imagine it? Do you lead and enable in a way that you want to? Want to start the new year sure that you do? Well, let the preparations begin!

Whether you’re leading yourself, leading a team or leading a business (your own or someone else’s), what we’re talking about is being a leader authentic to yourself, authentic to who you aim to be and to how you influence others. The reason you want to take ownership of how you come across is because in the end, you are going to have to answer to the consequences of your leadership, whether you will need to answer to others or to yourself. This is the time to make conscious choices.

Consider it your mental business card, what you leave after you in the minds of those you interact with. And it’s time to double check what it says.?

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I see three underlying reasons as to why this topic is worth reflecting on right now. The first one is that it’s an area that my executive clients increasingly are interested in, meaning the topic is on people’s minds and worth sharing. Secondly, I see too many otherwise fabulous candidates missing this essential part of the mix, wondering why they aren’t climbing the ladder, meaning that there’s the need for a reminder. And third, this is a task that demands time for reflection and trial, so it’s time to start now to make sure you’ve started leading like you want to by the end of this year.

So let’s take this step by step, starting with YOU.

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Step 1 – WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

?Imagine yourself today, tomorrow, in five years. Imagine yourself as the leader you are in your vision.

What are your main traits? How are you to others? How do you feel about yourself?

Go deep and wide, how do you feel, what’s your voice like, how do you dress, how’s your body language, how do you make others feel?

Can you nail it down to three describing words, or a short sentence?

This is your leadership avatar, who you aspire to be.

Identifying role models can be helpful, so look back to the leaders you’ve experienced in the past and those that surround you right now, be they in your direct sphere or be they public figures. Which traits of the good ones left a lasting impression, which aspects of the not so good stand out to you? Puzzle and patch to create your own version of your leadership avatar. The key word here is authenticity; It has to feel right to you to feel real to others.

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Step 2 – WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

What’s your perception of how others see you? In other words what’s the state of your leadership brand right now?

Write down all the adjectives you think that the people around you would use when describing you or when talking about you (you might even go out and ask!). Let the list be as long as you want, and as general or as specific as you think is relevant. Ideally you write the list spontaneously, let it rest for a few hours or days, and then review it, adding or subtracting adjectives as you go deeper. Remember to check yourself for BS (bullshit), it’s pretty easy to paint a pretty picture…

When you’re done, circle the three adjectives you deem most common, the red threads through the list.

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Step 3 – WHAT ARE THE GAPS?

If you’ve been honest to yourself it should be pretty straightforward to identify the gaps between your leadership avatar and your current personal stamp.

If you notice there is no gap at all:

Have you been too modest in creating your avatar? What would it look like if you levelled up? Reach higher!

Or have you not been entirely honest about where you are right now? If you want this exercise to be helpful, this is the time to back-track to Step 1 and Step 2 and be bolder in your vision and go no-BS in your self appraisal. Be real.

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Once you have identified your gaps, let the creative thinking begin!

Can you create an action plan, a road map to get to your leadership avatar?

What stands out to you in your gap analysis?

What looks easy?

What looks like something you could use help with?

Break it down into easy parts, chewable steps.

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Ready to lead and come across the way you want to?

Need support to go deep? To lose the BS? To dare reach higher? To identify the elements of your roadmap? To hold yourself accountable?

Let me know.

You’ve got the power but you’re not alone.