Becoming the Leader You Aspire to Be

It was long thought that leaders were born. Some people innately possess the skills to inspire others, communicate great visions, and take action to ensure their visions come into fruition whereas others do not. Fortunately, much research has been conducted in this realm. It is true that nature does play a part in leadership development. However, nurture and choice also play significant roles as well.

FACTS: Leaders can be developed. Leadership can be learned.

Personality type, traits, characteristics, strengths, education, and continual personal and professional development are just a few key components of becoming the leader you envision. However, we all observe and acquire leadership qualities throughout our lives. Taking an honest look in the mirror is the first step to becoming a great leader.

To become a leader or improve existing leadership qualities, we must commit to personal transformation and examine deep-rooted patterns of thought and behavior. Formal education and assessments can assist with understanding yourself better.

From one Career Girl who loves to read and apply new skills to another, a great resource to begin or continue on the life-long journey of leadership is “Becoming a Resonant Leader.” Annie McKee, Richard Boyatzis, and Frances Johnston co-authored this wonderful book. The subtitle captures the essence of the book and workbook activities to “develop your emotional intelligence, renew your relationships, and sustain your effectiveness.”

Even if you have taken the Meyer’s Briggs Type Indicator, DiSC, StrengthsFinder (all trademarked assessments), or you are considered to have a genius-level IQ, the truth is it is no longer enough to just be smart or aware on one or two facets of yourself. Every Career Girl should strive for mastery of personal competencies and social competencies of emotional intelligence to become effective leaders. The book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman is an excellent “manual” to aid with this process.

To learn more about Goleman’s book, check out the first few minutes of this video or watch it in its entirety. It is an audio version of “Working with Emotional Intelligence.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPocFijPKxA

Over time, more leadership articles will come. If any Career Girls out there have interest in broad or narrower aspects of leadership, please be sure to post comments and feedback. Take charge of your quest to becoming the leader you (may have been destined to be and) choose to become!