Leadership - Personal direction
Personal direction
Internal values
It is well known that a good leader will lead by example but where does that example come from.
You should expect a leader to possess a set of values which will drive his actions.
It may not always be clear if a person is acting in a proactive manner based upon an assessment of the facts or is acting to satisfy deeper emotions such as a need for praise, the acquisition of wealth, security etc.
These internal values are forged over many years of experience and are ingrained.
This sense of internal direction is often known as an internal compass.
If you abide by these internal baseline rules you could be said to have ‘integrity’.
This is not to say that your internal values are better than another persons.
There may well be a clash which can only be resolved by parting.
It is these values that ultimately create trust in a leader and this in turn embodies the power of influence which all leaders must have.
It is no good having great internal values if you don’t adhere to them or you can not demonstrate or communicate them to others.
Issues
If you don’t keep to your internal values there may be conflict leaving to stress.
Many people fail to assess their true values all their lives.
If you assess your values and find there is conflict with your present position you may well choose a new direction.
This decision alone may give you new motivation [see The Complete Motivation package], new challenges and far less stress as you will may feel much happier.
These values are equivalent to an organisation’s Mission Statement in that they reflect core values that are constant over time.
This internal direction should encompass work, friends and family.
Personal vision
Developing where you want to be in the future is the same as for an organisation, or a team etc.
Find a comfortable place to think about what you really want from work, family and friends and where you would like to be at a given point in time in the future. Be creative and write down anything and everything that you feel is important.
Don’t judge you own ideas. Treat it like an internal Brain Storm.
From this you will ultimately coalesce a vision that will be brief, well focussed and will inspire you.