At the core of every leader is one element that defines their leadership more than any other. It isn’t their title or the size of the budget they manage. It isn’t the number of people on their team or the kind of work they do. The element that defines a person’s leadership more than any other is influence. Whether we are looking at leading in an organization, leading within a family or leading one’s own life, every choice made has an influence…for better or worse.
Stop and consider a time when you saw someone truly inspiring a group or a movement. What made them special? Was it their title or was it the way they were able to influence others? Was their influence making things better or worse?
Influence carries with it great responsibility. An individual can influence for better or for worse. In history and in our everyday lives, we can see examples of both kinds of influence. The work of a mindful leader is to recognize that our influence can create a ripple effect that can make something better or it can make something worse. Once we understand the ripple effect of everything we say or do, and everything we choose not to say or do, we can then look for ways to more often influence ‘for better’ and less often influence ‘for worse’.
How to Discern ‘For Better’ in the Course of the Day
It all begins with some self-reflection on Leadership Excellence:
1. Find a place where you can sit quietly for about 10 minutes
2. Gently close your eyes and relax your body with a few deep breaths
3. When you are ready, ask yourself this question: ‘How do I want to be in the world?’
4. Let the answers arise on their own, from your wisdom, from your heart
Notice that you are not asking the question ‘what do you want to do?’. You are asking a much deeper question, ‘how do I want to be in the world?’. How do I want to show up every day? For my colleagues, for my family, for myself? Do your answers resonate with you as they arise? Do they surprise you? Has the rush and stress of life buried the person you truly want to be? Are there ways to meet your life without losing the most important elements of who you are, and how you want to be?
Time in self-reflection can be a simple yet powerful way to begin to live your best life. See if your answers to this reflection provide insight into ways you can more often influence ‘for better’, and less often influence ‘for worse’.