Some leaders wake up and find themselves in leadership positions. They got promoted to their first management position and then rode the wave of success to higher roles within an organization. They never set out to be a leader but just ended up there.
The good news is that these unintentional or accidental leaders can be leaders with purpose and intention if they follow these three steps:
- Reflect
- Learn
- Experiment
The first step, reflect, involves taking regular time for SELF-REFLECTION. It involves keeping a journal or a document on your computer where you can take note of situations that surprise you, mistakes you’ve made, and frustrations you’ve had. By taking time to reflect on what’s working and what’s not, it allows you to become more in touch with your feelings, thoughts, and motivations. You can learn more about this intentional practice in the article below “Don’t Underestimate the Power of Self-Reflection.”
The next step is to continue to LEARN about leadership best practices. Listen to a podcast on a leadership topic, watch a TED talk, or check out a popular leadership book. These are just some examples. There are many leadership tools, models, and resources you can check out once you’ve decided what topics you want to dig into.
And finally, EXPERIMENT with new ways of being as a leader. Maybe you want to try to be more present when you’re listening to others, show more empathy, or be brave and push back on another person’s idea. Experiment with some new behaviors and see what works well and what doesn’t.
Then go back and repeat the cycle again: Reflect. Learn. Experiment. You’ll need to reflect on what’s working and feels right to you. You may even choose to ask for feedback/feedforward from your team members to get a different perspective.
Let me know what you discover as you try out these new habits!