You, Leading You

I was blessed to have a 20+ year career in a corporate environment, during which I had several roles focused on leadership development. The company was American Express Financial Advisors, now known as Ameriprise, and our goal was to develop first rate leaders whose job was to hire, train and develop exceptional financial advisors. Those days were intellectually invigorating, heady days, and among many experiences I remember a spirited discussion focused on the question, 'What is a leader?', which would seem to have a simple answer, but doesn't. The answer I recall was something to the effect that a leader is someone who, through inspiration, direction and example, leads another person to a place they wouldn't otherwise go on their own. That definition still works for me.

A leader is someone who, through inspiration, direction and example, leads another person to a place they wouldn't otherwise go on their own.

But something to consider is the natural assumption that to be led in a new direction means being led by someone else, when we shouldn't overlook the possibility that we can be led by the person we see when we look in the mirror. Though we don't expect to find ourselves in such a casting call, it's certainly possible, because baked inside us is the innate potential to tap into our own inspiration, find our own direction and set our own example.