When studying leadership, we often read about inspiring people, emotional intelligence, and other intangible traits. While leaders have different styles there are fundamental areas to self assess in order to determine your readiness to lead. Perhaps more important to your success, the assessment may shape where you decide to lead. What are these areas?
Vision – Risk – Competency
- You must know how to set, adapt, and achieve a personal vision before you can do so for others.
- You must be able to make risk decisions and understand your capacity for taking on risk.
- You must dedicate the time required to master at least one core competency in your industry.
All three are key to determining if you are ready to lead and where you should lead.
Preparation is personal
The path to leadership is one formed by personal experience. The career paths of others are often inspirational and educational. We should not; however, focus solely on the path of leaders we admire and attempt to mimic it to achieve a similar result. Our world is in constant change. There are personal circumstances and decisions that impacted where they are today. Our personality shapes who we are and how we operate in our professional environment. Understanding who you are is critical to determining where you should go.
This inaugural week will touch on each area beginning with Vision. I trust you will find this to be edifying and appreciate if you would comment with feedback/discussion and share with your network.