Who you are is how you lead

Who are you? Have you ever asked yourself this? Very rare we do. Why?

Because we are so busy with others.. so preoccupied with what others think of us.

So busy doing, doing all the "stuff" that is expected of us. Doing the chores, our job, entering in and out of roles as life goes by.  We are so many things and we all have so many roles to play. At least it seems like it. 

Some of the roles we are comfortable with and others we barely know how to play at all. So we imagine and act instead. When we act, we do exactly that..act..fake it to you make it.

I used to think that was sometimes a good strategy. And maybe it is, at times.

However, when we act "as if" we are making it, we are also in "danger" of losing ourselves.  That's when we forget about ourselves. Who we really are, what we need and what we can bring to others, to our surroundings, to our community, to the world. 

The question is really hard to answer because we keep changing. Like all things and seasons, they change. Nothing ever stays the same. 

I do believe however, that we all have a core, an essence that is yours and yours truly. That never changes and act as the backbone of you, of me, of who we really are. Discovering this is wisdom and gives us all stability, solidity and an opening in to who we really are. 

Who you are is how you lead is directly reflecting our core, your core.  The essence of you.

What do I mean by this? Should we stop playing roles and fake it till we make it? The answer is both yes and no..

Yes- because playing roles is tiring and often it feels wrong. That is when we start to pay attention to how it makes us feel. Most of the time, we don't. We just enter "go mode" and do it. We are using the world famous Nike strategy "Just do it".  We just do it, without thinking. This strategy is great for many situations in life. 

No- because life and expectations require us to do so.

Both you and me, are called to enter different roles throughout our lives and often throughout the day. At work and when sudden unexpected situations arise. Then life, situations and people require us to seize the moment, to mobilize strength and power. Often such strength and power, we didn't know that we have. That's empowering and we learn to master and expand our abilities and power. 

As we do, we open up to self-discovery and we learn something new and valuable, about ourselves and also about other people. 

And as we act and play out the roles, we grow and evolve, becoming more than we thought we could ever be. 

What if we instead of playing roles of what's expected of us, entering into "JUST DO IT" mode", what if we started with evaluating the role instead? Looking at it with curious eyes and wonder? 

What if you asked yourself how the role fits with your true essence, your core, your values, the things that matter to you?

What if you could mould the role to suit you, so you could stop playing and pretending? 

Instead start with curiosity to discover and develop more of the essence of you.

How would you lead then?