When it comes to leadership development, we generally think about specific skills such as strategic vision or conflict management, which are great when leading others. But what if we took that same approach to how we lead ourselves?
Developing your inner leader is the key to true leadership success and it happens to be my favourite work as an executive coach, particularly when working with female leaders who are ready to step into their power.
What is Inner Leadership?
Many people confuse inner leadership with a drive to keep going no matter what, when in fact, inner leadership is about hyper self-awareness and the discipline to respond to what we know to be true. Developing inner leadership is like rowing a boat. Simply rowing harder won’t always mean reaching your destination, however many of the female leaders I work with continue to do this. At certain points you need to pause, check the wind, and adjust the rudder as necessary. The same is true in navigating life. Now, more than anytime I can remember, most of us are moving at an unsustainable pace and we’re not paying attention to the warning lights of our internal guidance systems.
Actively Listening to Yourself
A fundamental leadership skill is active listening, which involves the words that are being spoken, as well as many non-verbal factors like body language, context and the surrounding environment. When developing your inner leader you can also take an active listening approach to yourself. What is your intuition telling you? Are you listening to what your heart is saying? What is your body trying to tell you? In order to hear these answers you will need to get still and possibly pivot rather than just pushing through. This is a challenge for many women leaders because we don’t feel we have time or capacity to focus on ourselves.
Having Courageous Conversations with Yourself
Another common leadership skill is the ability to have courageous conversations with others. This can also apply to inner leadership. Are you having courageous conversations with yourself? What is the brave thing you need to admit to yourself? One way to access your inner leader could be writing yourself a letter from the perspective of your future self. What is she telling you to do or to be? Your wise inner leader always has your best interests at heart and she has the wisdom you can use right now.
An example of real inner leadership would be a career pivot away from a role that you know you’ve outgrown. It’s easy to recognize others who have outstayed their time in a job, but when it comes to self it isn’t so easy. I speak from experience having changed careers about 12 years ago and then deciding to leave my corporate job just last year. Those were extremely difficult choices at the time, yet they were guided by a knowing I couldn’t shake. Have you ever had that feeling? That is your inner leader and when you tune in and act on it, you gain confidence and wisdom that is truly non-negotiable.
Are you leading yourself just as well as you are leading others?
Developing your inner leader is a journey of replacing external pressure with internal authority. If you’re ready to stop rowing aimlessly and start powerfully leading your life with clarity, I offer leadership coaching for women to thrive. I’d love to help you find your own unwavering inner guide.
