Do you see yourself as a leader?
This prompt is deeply personal for me. It asks me to ponder who I am and how I see myself. Maybe this prompt does the same for you. I see life is a gift; I write and speak from an expanding awareness of life-as-gift.
People assume “leader” has the same meaning for everyone. I had to consider what I think the word means. Everyone attaches certain values to labels based on what they learned and what they experienced. I had to ask myself: What is my definition of “leader?” (Merriam-Webster defines leader as “one who leads” and defines lead as “to guide someone or something along a way.”)
What is a leader to me? A leader is someone who elicits the best in others and themselves as part of a cooperative relationship. Leaders listen, coach, mentor, encourage, participate, and connect; these characteristics require symbiosis. Leaders are not “soloists” or “lone rangers.” Leaders do not coerce, dictate, or manipulate. Leaders can be recognized by their impact on lives; sometimes, not always, they receive a “title.”
Leaders exude inherent authority and may also have conferred authority. Not everyone who receives conferred authority- as in election or confirmation- is a leader.
A leader is someone who elicits the best in others and themselves as part of a cooperative relationship.
Vital for leaders is that they are themselves; authenticity helps others trust them. Leaders have a healthy sense of self and are self-aware. While there are good leaders, none are perfect leaders.
Leader is a label I have shunned for myself most of my life; I still struggle with it. I know I am respected, heard, “influential,” loved, and authentic. I received “conferred authority” many years ago (“James Edward Henry, take thou authority…”). I have been awakening to inherent authority in me. With this understanding in mind, I can and do see myself as a leader.
Infinitely Precious 