Why Self-Leadership is key to transformation

In the latest episode of?We Are Human Leaders?with leadership development expert Jean Mare DiGiovanna, we delve deep into the role of personal transformation in leadership, how we can lead authentically, and -?yes - what a renaissance painter and a modern leader might have in common.

Jean Marie’s journey has taken her from a computer science degree, to leading huge teams in her high tech work at IT consultancy firm Cambridge Tech, to helping leaders think, lead and communicate to create a culture of trust, collaboration and innovation.?

Through her work in Renaissance Leadership, Jean Marie clarifies how, while we will always need niche experts, modern leaders can benefit from being generalists as it gives rise to agility.

“Renaissance leaders had skills that were deep and wide, not just deep. It's about not just leaning into your expertise, but about having the behaviors and mindset that allow you to adjust, pivot, iterate, and adapt to the situation, the market and to what the team's calling for.”

“Back in my corporate days, the goal was to become an expert. What I started discovering is the leaders who were more agile, who could really deal with different situations, who could manage different kinds of people, who were committed to growth and development and open to learning new skills, these leaders were much more resilient.''

She explores how those passions that we might consider irrelevant to our work actually support our leadership. As Jean Marie frames it,?

“Many of the things we enjoy outside of work, our passions, are actually what inform our work. Once I start realizing I'm a whole human being and the more that I can honor all the things I enjoy and bring those into my work, the better my work becomes.”?

We also discuss the?difference between humans doing, and human beings, and the power of focusing on who?we need to be?in order to achieve the change we desire.?

“When we focus on being before the doing, the doing takes less effort.”

This might feel counterintuitive for those of us who are task-oriented. If we want to achieve something, we compile a to-do list, then methodically work through it until our objectives are achieved. However,?there is power in focusing on being, first, before doing. As Jean Marie explains,?

“First, get clear on what results you want to produce. The next question I always ask is, ‘who would you need to be to achieve those results?’ Because if you simply focus on practicing that being, the results show up.”?

And she’s seen this happen time and again across organizations and teams with whom she’s worked around the globe.

One of the key takeaways for us was her insight on the powerful impact of aligning our purpose, skills and gifts.?

“When we align purpose, skills and gifts we make a difference for those we serve. When those three start matching up, that’s the secret of fulfillment.”

Listen to the latest episode of We Are Human Leaders with Jean Marie DiGiovanna right now, wherever you get your podcasts.

And let us know -?what’s your key takeaway from our conversation with Jean Marie?

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