Amongst leaders, there are some that stand out as inspirational and effective. This usually does not come easy no matter how these leaders seem to ease along. It takes a lot of commitment and effort to be one of the best, just like in any field in life.

Here is my proven 4-Step approach to become the leader you aim to be.

Step 1: Self-perception: Who am I as a leader?

Self-reflection, at its simplest, means taking time to slow down and think about you and your experiences, as part of increasing your self-awareness, learning and growth. Self-reflection in leadership means devoting time to think about yourself as a leader and is critical for your leadership development.
My proposed approach for this is to look into your personal values, values that define you as an individual. Values on this level underpin and guide our decision making and behaviors. We’re content and without conflict - both internally and externally - when we stick close to our own and our organization’s values. We are also able to lead with greater clarity around who we are and what vision we’re working towards when we lead with our values. Herein lies the value in values. Your values will define how you act and react.

Step 2: Vision: How do I aspire to be as a leader?

The second question can easier be answered in understanding who your leader ship role model is. A role model is someone other people look up to and try to emulate in terms of their behaviors and/or successes. Maybe you have such a role model in your life. Perhaps it's your parents or a sibling. Or perhaps it's your favorite athlete or just maybe, it is someone in your workplace. You would probably think that a role model in the workplace would be a manager or C-level executive. However, someone can be a role model or a leader without having any official leadership position title. For instance, let's say that you have a colleague who is always calm under pressure, trustworthy, and gets things done. That is pretty good role-model behavior that others can look up to and try to emulate in order to succeed. That colleague is just like any other staff member, but during times of need, this employee may be the one consulted as opposed to an official leader, like a manager. Others might be inspired by that role model to work harder and/or better if they see that this colleague's attitude and ethics lead him to success. So, role models can be thought of as unofficial leaders in an organization by virtue of setting positive examples which others can follow.

Step 3: Reality Check "How am I perceived as leader?

In order to understand how you are doing as a leader, you need to reach out to your environment to collect 360° feedback, with a few, short questions, best-asked face to face so that you can ensure to understand the feedback. In order to do so you need to ensure that the feedback can happen in a safe space and that the feedback providers understand what you are looking for. For this feedback select people in different levels. Select some that are challenging and some that are inspirational so that you get a good mix and ensure that all aspects of your personality and your leadership are reflected. This is an exciting part of the journey and I am sure you will be learning a lot about yourself.

Step 4: Action "What are my next steps to become the leader I want to be?

Reading this article it is clear that one must become the change one wants to see in their team or organization. We often use the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words”, now let´s show that you mean it.
Looking at the results of the first three steps, you know who you are, how you want to be as a leader and you have gotten plenty of feedback 360 - hopefully regarding your perceived leadership style. Now let´s bring it altogether. So that at the end of the day you can derive a 90 day plan with a focus on key topics. The first steps to get clarity is that you put all of the information mainly the feedback into a JOHARI window as you will discover topics that are not yet known to you or topics that are not yet know to others. Then let´s look for a positivity shower and focus on your strengths. Where are your values, your vision and the “reality” (it is perceived reality, let´s not forget this). Your strengths will help you to achieve more as a leader, feel more proud as this is in alignment with your values and you feel more balanced as a leader. And remember: A strength can only remain a strength if you continue to build upon and invest in it. The last step is to look at your improvement areas to avoid they are negatively impacting your success.

In conclusion, becoming the best version of a great leader is a journey. It means you have to reinvent yourself and work on yourself constantly. It takes courage, humility, and great self-knowledge to lead others effectively.

You have identified your values, developed a vision, gotten feedback and developed an action plan!

Let´s use the remaining days of the year to prepare for 2023. I am offering a 4-week program for 0€ (i.e. FREE) so that you can start preparing your plan to level up your leadership. LEVEL UP!
The four weeks will be structured like this:
Week 1: Self-perception "How are you as a leader"
Week 2: Vision "How do you aspire to be as a leader?"
Week 3: Reality Check "How are you perceived as a leader?"
Week 4: Action "What are my next steps to be the leader I want to be?"
Sounds straight forward? It is, you just need to do it! Follow my proven program. We start on the 10th of October. This is a program that I developed when training to be an even better leadership coach. Here is the link to join Who are you as a leader? LEVEL UP!

Self-Leadership is a stand-alone course and as well part of my leadership program MOVE UP!
Click here if you are interested in the program to get the most recent information. Here is a link to book a discovery session with me to find out if I am the right coach for you.