At the beginning of my Fellowship, I believed leadership was in large part due to having innate ability that we were born with and that circumstances and opportunities to lead honed those abilities. This natural ability paired with knowledge is what formed the great leaders of the world. I do still believe that some people are born with that influence that makes others follow them, but there also millions of people who have developed and learned to be leaders.
My believe has been rapidly changing. While I still believe that some have natural ability to be a leader, majority of people that I have researched and spoken with have developed and learned to be a leader. I view a leader as one who understands people, enlists, and motives employee participation in a way that promotes interest and purpose in our communities and an organization. I encourage and give opportunities to my team to learn and grow while guiding them at the right time to support the community and company’s mission and goals for success. Power and popularity are not the only defining characteristics of a leader, a leader must lead and carry out her obligation’s day after day, year after year and accomplish said duties in a purpose and mission driven way that achieves success for the organization she is leading.
The outdated approach of leading is changing, I believe, there are individuals that would benefit from that approach of leadership, however, new generations of individuals raised on technology and social-political changing world are now in the workforce. These individuals have different expectations and require collaboration as well as teamwork. These two dissimilar groups have taught me that I must evolve, as leader, and as a person who has vested interest in making a positive impact in our communities while growing my employees as well as my business.
This brings me to the idea that leadership is more than leading others, it is also taking care of self and self-leadership. The reality is that leadership happens in different contexts, including in the self-context. It was during my Fellowship interview that I realized I had not attempted to have an annual exam or taken a vacation for three years. In my life, self-care and self-development was one of the most overlooked and underinvested area. After becoming a fellow, I focused on self-leadership with self-care as an intentional part of my life. I was admitted to my choice of MBA program, hired a personal and business coach in one, scheduled annual physical exam and in December 2020 took a vacation with my family. I now also book regular physical massages. I am still not able to commit to a regular exercise and I plan to, I also let go of perfection and completing everything on my list.
I have learned that self-leadership and self-care are about developing and managing my individual energy to initiate, motivate and perform at a high level, improving and sustaining my leadership. It is everything from how I wake up and conduct my morning routine to the strategies I use to keep my daily life flowing and organized. It’s the reflection of me that other people see that inspires and empowers everyone to pursue excellence in every activity performed toward greater impact as a leader.