Leadership: It has NOTHING and EVERYTHING to do with You
Mastering the Art of Intentional Leadership: Balancing Personal Growth with Team Success
To be a leader who can truly make an impact, it is important to lead with intention. Leading with intention means that leaders utilize all their skills to not only support their staff, but also move their companies forward. So how does one accomplish this? To start, it is important for all current, aspiring, and future leaders to understand this message: Leadership has both nothing and everything to do with you.
To say leadership has nothing to do with you is not meant as an insult and most certainly not intended to dismiss the value leaders bring to the table. On the contrary, leaders who understand that their work has “nothing” to do with them have the capacity to see beyond their own personal goals. For example, these leaders understand that the success of their company is not possible without the success of their staff. As a result, these leaders might focus on offering opportunities for professional development and provide them with the best tools they need to do their jobs. Intentional leaders know that their staff are the ones who move the company forward, not the leader alone. In essence, intentional leaders are willing to develop the skills it takes to listen, understand, and observe both verbal and non-verbal cues from their staff.
Practicing Self-Awareness
While being intentional requires leaders to focus on their staff and the needs of the company, it is also essential that they are able to look inward and focus on themselves. This means that leaders need to practice self-awareness and work on improving skills that may hold them back from connecting to their staff or fully understanding the challenges that exist in their company. Skills that are often challenging include self-regulation, humility, vulnerability, honesty, and reflection (to name a few). Strong self-awareness can help leaders reflect on how they influence their company and those around them. It gives leaders the capacity to make improvements when they are needed.
Leaders who are able to lead with intention also have the ability to pause when they receive difficult feedback to improve initiatives. While they receive this feedback, they are able to practice self-regulation before responding and can respond constructively. Intentional leaders are also able to understand, again, that the success of their company is not possible without a strong, supported staff, even if the feedback received may be hard to receive.
Though striking the balance between making leadership all about you and nothing about you can feel daunting, it is possible to develop and grow these skills by continuing to reflect on one’s self-awareness. If you have not invited yourself to this reflection, you can start now by asking yourself:
- How do I typically respond when I receive feedback or bad news related to my work?
- How do I interact with others when I don’t feel understood or when I disagree with their point of view?
By starting with these questions, you are setting yourself up to better understand yourself as a leader. Leadership requires folks to bring forth all their skills and talents forward to help move others ahead. The way you engage in conversations with your team shapes not only your leadership but also the culture around you. Remember, leadership is both about you and beyond you—it’s about the impact you create. How will you choose to show up?
Limary Trujillo, Ed.D.
Celia Trujillo, LCSW
