leading from within

Leadership is service to your organization, direct reports, clients, customers, and most of all to yourself, first. It is a common practice for leaders to step up and take charge because we are wired to problem solve and for some of us, we enjoy the charge of energy and accomplishment that comes along with being a leader. We are confidentand others have come to rely on that for sustainability. Commitment has become second nature and the ability to inspire brings an additional layer of satisfaction for leaders. These leadership characteristics have stood the test of time; however, when we consider the concept of leading from within, Leading Ladies must pause to determine if these characteristics align with our innate feminine characteristics.

Leading from within involves, first, understanding who you are aside from your professional identity. It is your individual identity that springs from your femininity that drives how you lead if you are willing to embrace and allow it. I want to share three processes that will help you to bridge your professional and individual identity, which in turn will foster leading from within, organically.

First, it is the process of unapologetically and completely embracing that you are a Leading Lady. This phrase is used to emphasize the beauty, strength, sensuality, and radiance that reflects who you are as a powerful woman. Embracing your femininity as a Leading Lady means that you stand firmly within those characteristics even as you work alongside your male colleagues. It means that you honor your natural rhythm to lead with compassion and flexibility to meet your organizational goals.

Second, is the process of resurrecting or exploring your core beliefs and values. Explore what you are most passionate about as an individual, Leading Lady. What or who do you love? Are you treating yourself to those things or people? Are you nurturing them? Are you giving attention to your hobbies? If your leadership practices conflict with your core beliefs and values, you are not leading from within, thus compromising yourself in your quest to produce for the organization.

Last is the process of determining how you marry your core beliefs and values with your professional responsibilities. Additionally, how do you use these to nurture leadership within and among your direct reports or subordinates? Leading from within creates a ripple effect that inspires and encourages others to join your team, authentically. Not to mention that when you are able to marry your core beliefs and values to your profession,  you are more available and creative in your practices.

Jagriti explores the feminine leadership archetypes in which she encourages you to accept all of who you are as a Leading Lady. The bottom line here is that you do not need permission to express your natural and authentic nature. Furthermore, masculine models of leadership are consistent with who men are and men we are not. Leading from within takes courage, which is what all Leading Ladies possess.