Being awarded your first leadership role can be both a daunting task and an exhilarating one. Often when you come face to face with the responsibilities of leadership you ask yourself; How will I lead? What kind of leader do I want to be? What legacy will I leave behind?
To understand and answer these questions, one must possess a deeper knowledge of who they really are. The following are three questions every great leader should be able to answer.
This question is more than your name, it is your identity. To truly know yourself, you must have an understanding of why you are here and the contributions you can make not just in your position, but in the world. Everyone has a purpose or a calling, and a leader should be able to articulate theirs well enough to engage and inspire others, even when other peoples callings or passions may not align with their own.
Simply, you should be able to fill in the blank to the following sentence: “My purpose in life is to…” Authentic leaders can visualize how their purpose aligns with the mission of the organization so that their work becomes more than just a job.
Many people confuse their passions with their hobbies. However this question is meant for you to understand a passion that will allow you to lead and is a direct result of what drives you toward success.
Research has revealed that everyone operates under one of ten core passions and they are codified as the following passion archetypes: Builder, Teacher, Transformer, Healer, Altruist, Connector, Creator, Conceiver, Discoverer, and Processor.
So, if you know that you are a passionate Builder, you will understand that you are someone who has big dreams and works hard to achieve them. However, if you have the Processor passion, you know that you need to take a step back and lay out a plan that will gain your employees’ support.
A leader should have an understanding of the impact their actions have, especially on those they are working with. Therefore, as a leader, you want to create a culture that encourages people to openly discuss issues and work together to find the best course of action. You should strive to inspire and motivate people to be their best selves and bring that kind of effort to the workplace in order to elevate the company to greater heights.