Do you struggle with insecurity, feelings of inferiority and inadequateness? If so, your leadership will be limited. Your insecurity will prevent you from empowering others around you. Chances are you micro-manage your team and rarely show appreciation for their work.
“Effective leadership begins with an emotionally healthy leader. This is because leadership must flow from being and not from doing.” John Maxwell
Your emotional health is your responsibility. Establishing your identity is your first step to becoming emotionally healthy and on your way to an effective leader – yet this is not an easy feat. Nor is it something that will occur overnight.
You can make the decision of who you are and what you want to become in an instant. But the process of becoming is something that could take years. Don’t substitute identity with accomplishments, that’s the insecurity talking. Define yourself by determining your values and the character traits you wish to be known for. This helps you filter the good ideas from the right ideas for you to pursue while discovering your purpose.
The opposite of leadership is not “followership”, the opposite of leadership is insecurity. The insecure can only walk in the delusion of being a leader. Only the self-aware and the self-accepting will be effective leaders.
This is a powerful post every leader should read. I will share it. Insecurity hurts most relationships, but is deadly in leadership. Thank you for explaining it so concisely.
Thanks Marcia – it's something I have to remind myself of and work on.