Everyday Leadership - 5 steps to #choosetochallenge
Photo by Rob Walsh on Unsplash
“Leader/Leadership” - an enigma of words that many recognize when they see it but few can actually define it. This perhaps is because each person’s definition of what leadership is or what makes a leader can vary as widely as each person’s experiences.
One thing is for sure, when many of us stop to consider the people that come to mind when we think of a leader, they are typically larger than life, well-known, influential visionaries with captivating oratory and charisma.
While this view of leadership is not wrong, its greatest limitation is that it excludes a large percentage of everyday people. It forces us to take this title of leader and treat it as if it is something that one day we are going to deserve after we have mastered all the pre-requisite competencies. It forces us to only celebrate amazing things that hardly anybody can do and makes us devalue the things that we can do every day.
“It forces us to only celebrate amazing things that hardly anybody can do and makes us devalue the things that we can do every day.”
Have you considered;
The impact that a school teacher has on the development of our young minds
The coaches that train the best athletes and organizational leaders
Speechwriters whose words have been catalysts for great change but who never get credit for their work
The community/union leaders who rally the troops when there are issues to be dealt with
The old lady down the road who always starts the change.org petition
The firefighters, the health workers, and other unsung heroes
Undoubtedly, some of the greatest leaders have not been the ones we see or recognise but have been the quiet driving forces influencing mindsets, attitudes, and actions. They are the ones who #choosetochallenge culture, norms and “the way things are”.
Sadly, we have made leadership into something beyond us when in fact every single person has the power to be a catalyst for a form of change in someone’s life if only we are more aware of our power and intentional about wielding it.
SO, How can you become the leader you are looking for?
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Here are 5 steps we must all take to #choosetochallenge and walk more intentionally in our leadership power;
1. Curiosity
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.”
We must cultivate the habit of asking questions about what we see around us. Curiosity is like a seed that leads to a future harvest of knowledge & wisdom. If you ask good questions and we will get great answers.
Even when things are not broken, you should still challenge the status-quo by asking questions such as;
Why is the way it is?
How can it be even better?
As the world changes, how can this current status serve us?
Renowned leadership Coach, John Maxwell talks more about this in his blog post titled Cultivating Curiosity where he shares 3 keys for being curious - Give yourself permission to be curious, have a beginners mindset and make why your favourite word.
The truth is that curiosity was not what killed the cat and in many ways, curiosity is the best remedy for fear.
2. Awareness & Acceptance
“You are not a hypocrite if you change your mind after you have received new information”
Leaders are known to seek knowledge intentionally. It is important to educate ourselves on the issues that we find through curiosity. The more awareness we gain, the more likely we are able to generate more informed ideas that actually solve problems.
You can do this through watching the news, reading book, magazines and research papers, speaking to people affected by the issues you are researching.
And when you have gathered all this information, accept that there is an issue even where you may not have been directly impacted. The fact that you have not experienced an issue does invalidate the voice of those who have been affected. I have found this to one of the greatest hurdles in true allyship as we humans are naturally biased to skepticism. Put simply, more than one thing can be true at the same time and it is okay to change your mind after you have received new information.
3. Responsibility & Risk Taking
“If not you, then who?”
There are many people raising issues and identify problems but too few are willing to take ownership for creating solutions. Ultimately, leaders are those who take ownership of the problems they see.
That being said, responsibility always comes with a price and risk. Nothing is risk-free. It will cost you money, time, and much more to create the change you want to see but from experience, I have learned that it will also give more back to you than you can ever image.
When the weight of the responsibility overwhelmes you, think “if not me, then who?”
4. Activation towards Action
“Only action (not intent) can make things happen. ”
Ordinary people really activate their leadership by taking action. This could be sharing a dissenting opinion in a echo-chamber of singular views, it could be speaking up against injustice that you witness, it can be starting an initiative, project or business, it can be writing a letter to someone who has more influence to drive change, it can be getting your voters card, it can be sharing a post on social media ….The point is START!; wherever you are and with whatever you have. Trust me when I say that pieces of the puzzle will come along the way.
Growth happens in the wild and not in safe spaces.
5. Teach
“The journey of leadership is one of finding your own voice and knowing that your journey must end with helping others find theirs”
As you do - talk, teach and share your journey in order to (i) create more awareness of a/the problem, (ii) let people know how they too can be part of the change, and (iii) build a network for co-labourers that can lean on each other.
The point of this is not to brag but to encourage others to also take up their own everyday leadership mantle.
Many problems were not created by an individual hence it goes without saying that collective problems will require collective solution.
As a handy reminder, think of these steps using the acronym, CARAT; a precious toolkit for creating everyday moments of positive, sparkling change.
I truly believe that “Leadership is firstly a mindset and a choice before it becomes a persona. The beautiful thing about thinking about leadership this way is that every day, WE get to choose the space where we have the most interest and will have the most impact; and after we have made this choice, we also get to choose to LEAD
We must recognize that at every table where we have a seat, our voices are needed otherwise we won’t be there. It is imperative that we use our voices to give representation to our viewpoint. Not only for ourselves but for our community.
Ultimately,Good leadership is really not about power, position, titles, or knowing it all. It’s about seeing the gaps around you and choosing to be part of the solution. It really is about opting In.
So today, will you become the leader you have been looking for? Will you #choosetochallenge?
This article was written by Mary Mosope Adeyemi, Founder of viSHEbility