“Shakespeare will never be made by the study of Shakespeare.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
You are evolving.
Learning to lead.
Soaking up the experience.
Consuming information.
Aspiring to be like those successful leaders you read about.
<insert record-scratching sound effect>
Wait.
That last line.
Is the goal to be the best version of a leader you admire?
Or to be the best version of the leader you are?
Yes, you can learn from their stories and formulas.
You might even decide to apply some of what you learn.
Not an “I should” but an “I choose”.
Because it feels like it fits who you are.
But what will really set you apart,
inspire others,
and make an impact,
is to break free from the script and lead from your imagination.
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.” - Coco Chanel
Where is your leadership voice?
It’s not in a slogan.
Or a presentation.
Or a pithy saying.
You won’t find it in your rational, survival-oriented mind.
It’s in your heart.
Bound in your personality,
experiences.
emotions,
dreams,
and intuition.
You’ve listened to all the voices from the outside.
Try listening to the voice on the inside.
And learn to speak your own language of leadership.
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
― Pablo Picasso
There are places in your life where you feel free.
Where you fully express yourself.
Music.
Art.
Writing.
Tango.
Whatever this is for you.
It brings out the best in you.
Doesn’t it?
You learn the structure but then you make it your own.
Go master all the accepted rules of leadership.
So you can break them and show us a better way.
Let the creative, playful side of you inspire your leadership.
I’d like to recommend a great book I recently finished that may serve as a guide to help you follow an unscripted (or at least less-scripted) version of life and leadership.
“I am Keats” by Tom Asacker
A quote I love…
“Success is more a matter of courage than knowledge.”