Leadership

Do you consider yourself a leader?

I remember asking my team of nurses that question on day during team building and was surprised by their response of, “No.”

“Really?!” My mind swirled around all the ways they were leaders, each in their own unique and individual way. I thought to myself, “Why don’t they see it about themselves?” Then that got my mind spinning around what being a leader means.

What is a leader?

If you’re a parent, you are a leader. If you are a member of a family, in your own way, you are a leader. If you live in a community, you are a leader. For me personally, I am the leader in my neighborhood by being the first to have backyard, suburban goats. The neighbor down the road, a leader in suburban chickens.

Being a leader isn’t always the General George S. Patton or Rosa Parks of the world. Being a leader is sometimes as simple as just being that person that has a mission, like tackling the laundry, and following through. Being a leader is one who offers kindness, when others do not. Another thing to keep in mind: there is no cookie-cutter style to leadership. We all have beautiful and unique ways of expressing leadership style that can be enhanced based on evaluation of effectiveness, and that is where the real masterpiece comes through.

Evaluate your normal. Is your normal to not view yourself as a leader, even though you are? Is your normal to avoid the tough things? Take time to explore some of these questions and you will find you are doing one of the most positive things a leader can do…Evaluating your own effectiveness.

Embrace the leader within yourself, and see the transformative power you hold.