The delicacy of leadership.
I agree. Thinking of leadership as having the qualities of delicacy is quite uncommon. In fact, when we think of leadership all we need to do is search for what skills are helpful to develop an effective leadership practice. Whether the orientation is mindset, emotional intelligence, empathy, change management (you name it!), there will always be a buffet of approaches to choose from, learn and absorb. What makes your leadership practice a delicacy, however, is dependent on how you weave your practice back into your own core values. This weaving, much like building a lattice top for pies, is done carefully and with much intention in order that you come out of your practice looking back with deep appreciation. There is much to consider when crafting your unique delicacy around leadership. Here are 3 areas of delicacy to explore in order to take your leadership practice into the next level.
1) Leadership as an Appetite
You likely have an appetite for leadership; a calling, perhaps a compulsion to innovate, improve, or simply to take charge and provide solutions. Being a visionary often involves imagining a grand destination in response to a current challenge. Mighty work can sustain a mighty appetite. This makes it all the more important to feed your appetite with nourishing components of support. Think about the food you consume, the amount of sleep you get, and your social circles. But it does not stop here. What are factors in your life that support your work as a leader? Who cheers you on? Who are the haters? What does your motivation look like nowadays? What are you exposed to that dampers your own productivity? Pay attention to what influences or feeds your appetite and ensure each component is a healthy choice. Healthy influences will lend toward a sound mind and a life of your choosing, while unhealthy influences will produce a leadership practice wrought with burnout and frustration.
2) Leadership as a Vulnerable Place
The decision to lead comes with it the experience of being in a position of vulnerability. Brené Brown, best-selling author known for her research in courageous leadership and vulnerability, clarifies that courage does not involve an absence of fear, but instead is a disposition to act in the face of it. Vulnerability in this sense then serves as a channel for courage to come through and expose itself. The delicacy of leadership is in how you respond to the vulnerability you experience. It is based on choices you make. Choices! The choice to stay stagnant or the choice to act. The choice to give up or the choice to look beyond and plan for positive impact. The fragility of vulnerability is almost beautiful because it is an invitation for you to peer out and discover opportunities for ever-growing courage. Being vulnerable has the capacity to lead you toward your highest potential, should you say yes to that invitation!
3) Leadership as a Craft
Another portion of delicacy in leadership is how you show up and how present you are in your practice. How much of yourself have you mastered? Yes, I am asking about you. If you envision igniting extraordinary or masterful work, just how much have you mastered the craft of being you? When we think of the finest food being intricate in its composition, we think of how taste and texture marry, or how ingredients are structured to give the palette a new, distinctive, and memorable experience. It takes time and practice to build toward this level of craft. Just like in leadership, it must be carried out with a personally crafted finesse so that the form of your leadership is fashion distinctively by you. The emphasis here is you, your past, present, your experiences, traumas, strengths, and all that comes into the forming of your place in the world. How do you value all of it so that you show up as an authentic and emboldened leader?
So, what's on your plate? Leadership can be complex and at times, isolating, but it doesn't have to be that way. If you're looking to discover more of your potential and want to learn more about 360Reverence Coaching & Consulting, book a free discovery call!
