This is a post for the men and women who run companies. The people who had the idea, or built up the business from nothing, the ones who put in the work from the start.
This post is about developing a clear leadership style that is built on solid character. We all know that there is a difference between a manager and a leader. What a lot of us still don't know is the difference between a leader and a true leader, the authentic leader.
To develop authentic leadership within yourself, you need to know what your bedrock is when it comes to your values and your character. You see, leadership isn't just about being the boss and making decisions, it is about making the firm yours.
To make this happen, you need to go back to the start of things, and work out what your basic foundation is. Most people will state that the two things that get them up in the morning, honestly speaking, are their faith and their family. This is where the drive comes from. So work out your foundation, and then start thinking about your values.
What I want you to do is list your top ten values. To help you I have prepared a list of values that people most commonly believe are important to them. You can choose ten from this list or choose your own, but you need ten:
happiness, power, integrity, joy, religion, freedom, family, faith, authority, career, challenge, competition, loyalty, joy, love, professionalism.
Once you have ten, cross off two. You should have eight left. Cross off two more, then two more. Finally, you should be left with four core values that you believe in as a leader. This should not be an easy task. This is you we are talking about.
Once you have your final four core values, you are on the way towards authenticity as a leader. we will continue with this topic in a later post.