Discover your true north
Introduction
Warren Bennis is a pioneer in the field of leadership. He was the first to say that
leadership isn’t something tha springs from a skills set but nestles within the individual.
“Leadership is about who we are as people, with the strengths that formed us … it’s all about authenticity.”
Bill George, author of Finding Your True North, has interviewed over a hundred CEOs and leaders around the world. They formed the basis for his ‘travel guide’ to becoming an authentic leader, following one’s true north.
Your true north is the compass point that draws you to the real purpose of your leadership. If you locate and follow it, your leadership will be authentic, because your truth is drawn on your life story. The hardest person you’ll ever have to lead is you yourself. But, once you get to know who you are, it’s easier to lead others with authenticity.
Your life story is your basis and lends shape to how you see the world. It influences who you are as a leader. And every life has its high and its low points. The more insight you gain into your life story, through reflection and introspection, the more you’ll discover the focus of your true north.
The leadership journey therefore begins with understanding yourself: your life story with its ups and downs; the impact of your parents, teachers, coaches, mentors; associations; leadership in team sports; scouting and guiding; previous jobs; difficult experiences and feelings; and so on. This knowledge gives you the necessary self-awareness to discover your true north.
What’s important is how you frame your stories. The story of your life is not your life, it’s your story. It’s how you understand yourself through your stories, and how you act to shape your approach to the world and leadership in that world.
Setbacks in life and leadership put you to the test. But leaders very often emerge from them even stronger. Life’s not always fair, but the most important thing is how you deal with these difficult situations, how you reassess them in order to fully understand yourself and grow.
The values that form the basis for authentic leadership derive from what you believe in, but you only truly know what your values are when they’re put to the test. It can be relatively easy to list your values and strive to live up to them when things are going well. And yet, it’s when your success, your career or even your life seems to lack balanced that you find out what’s most important, what you’re willing to sacrifice and what your deep-rooted values really are.
Leadership principles are values that translate into action. A firm foundation of values lets you develop principles you’re able to deploy in your leadership.
- What people and experiences shaped you?
- What have been the turning points in your life?
- Where in your story do you draw your passion for being a leader?
- What are your guiding principles and values?