Trailblazing as a Leader
Embracing Experience(s) to become a guide.
Leadership is not a title.
It’s a journey paved with experiences that test your confidence, courage, and fortitude.
Some experiences result in success. They illustrate how successful behavior patterns can end in triumph when applied to the right scenario.
Other experiences result in immense confusion, pain, and self-doubt that can cripple even the most assertive, most courageous, and most capable.
Leadership requires both of these classes of experiences, but there are a few things that shape us, like pain.
Embracing this reality is critical.
To be a leader, you must have illustrated experiences that prove you can guide through uncertainty.
AND
The deep reservoir of experiences includes doubt, pain, and confusion that most people will run away from and hide.
To blaze a trail, you must be willing to experience it.
Shallow leaders avoid
Weak leaders focus exclusively on their own comfort. They avoid discomfort and conflict because it might dirty their image.
They fail to realize that the dust, sweat, and mud from their past arenas create the ability to guide effectively.
and that’s the point of leadership.
to guide others through the rapids of life.
to blaze a trail in the jungle of confusion.
to lead others to mountain-top experiences.
Experience as the most valuable asset
Transformational leaders understand that their experiences are their most valuable assets. They use their past challenges as a wind in the sails of forward momentum. This growth process transforms pain into a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
It’s all driven by the fuel of experience.
Experience teaches what works and what doesn’t.
Experience builds confidence & resilience.
It builds expertise.
Experience drives the empathy necessary to know how to help others. And without empathy, you are not worth following.
Because no one wants a guide that hasn’t been there before. How do we show that we’ve been there before?
Sharing our Experiences
As a young man, I struggled with sharing my experiences.
I wanted to show others that I was a strong and confident leader.
I was afraid of what others might think of me, so I hid all my experiences, creating distance between myself and others. I see this now as unhelpful, as the strength of experiences, especially challenges, helps connect, encourage, and embolden others.
It showed me that when faced with difficult experiences that I’ve overcome, I should share openly how I processed them because others connect with my feelings and appreciate the guidance.
You see the pattern?
As a ________________, I struggled with ___________________. I wanted to ____________. What I was thinking was _______________________, which resulted in me doing ___________________. What I know now shows me this was [helpful / Not Helpful]. It illustrated that when faced with _________, I should _________. You have an immense portfolio of experiences that can guide yourself and others. You’ve blazed trails and forged paths through unique challenges, and your voice of guidance is needed for others around you.
By leading with vulnerability, you show the world that you are worth following. You motivate others to turn challenges into opportunities to improve.
We’d love to hear your favorite experience. Share it with us by messaging us using the button below.
-Your friends at OutsmartChaos.
Your Takeaway
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