The Truth About Leadership

Each of us is born to lead, but not all of us are born feeling like leaders. Most of us don’t realize we have a chance to lead.
  
 
Sadly, what happens is that we impose barriers, we erect wall, and we pad ourselves into boxes and closed off rooms. We find ourselves feeling suffocated by our own self-defeating thoughts and misguided deeds.
  
 
Many times, in my work with organizations, I hear people say they are not leaders and they cannot make an impact and I feel that with a little wisdom, a little encouragement, and a lot of empowerment they can come to realize that everyone can be a leader.
  
 
I believe in any organization, business, or relationship, leadership is not so much about position as much as it is about each person’s disposition.
  
 
As you will read the truth about leadership, you will come to understand that you do not need a title to lead.
  
 
Everyone can lead from where they are; everyone can drive change and inspire others. This is not a traditional view of leadership, where leadership is allocated for the few. It is NOT based upon power.

This leadership belongs to all of US…
  
 
So, how do we discover our heart -based leadership?
  
 
How can we lead without a title?
  
 
By honoring your soul: – Your soul is made up of all that is good; it if full of all that it wants to express. Sometimes you may feel your calling but feel too scared to accept it, own it, be it. Your soul is calling; do not ignore it. Have the courage to dream, for what you dream becomes your life. Recognizing your soul is one of the most important decisions you will ever make to owning your leadership.
  
 
By listening to your heart : By moving beyond the mind and proceeding past your ego, you learn to listen to your heart. The heart is the sum of everything: all your feelings, emotions, reactions, and responses. Your heart wants to guide and assist you. As you continue to draw upon your heart for direction, you will eventually find that what you seek and what you seek you will want to share with others.
  
 
By owning your past: By putting value on your past and all the lessons you have learned and to act as witness to the roads, detours, and highways you have traveled, you will come to understand that where you stand, no one has ever stood before. You will bring your history into each moment and shade it with perspective and meaning. By learning from your life lessons, you begin to make them into learning and leadership moments.
  
 
By being enough: You need to stop looking over your shoulder. You have to stop comparing yourself to others. You have to remember, you are the gift, the present to this world. You do not have to worry about what others are doing. Because your responsibility, your mission, is to be your best self. By feeling you are not enough, you are sending out the message that you do not deserve. Knowing you are enough, you can spend more time on cultivating your full potential. Leadership is the expression of courage that compels people to live in their giftedness.
  
 
By being a bit braver: To be a bit braver you are going to have to trust yourself. It will not take much; it will take just a bit of effort. You don’t have to risk it all at once, you just have to begin by taking one step closer to our leadership. Be a bit braver — a bit bolder —and do not shrink from yourself. Be the leader you want to see in the world.
  
 
By honoring values: One of the requirements of leadership is that you know what you value and what your core convictions are. Because your values will set your direction, they will be your compass for your decisions and choices. Be a leader who honors your values and core convictions and let your leadership speak for itself.
  
 
By making a difference: Don’t just sit by and wait for the world to call you a leader; take this opportunity to claim your calling and be the person who can inspire and change the world.
  
 
Seek the principles of lead from within and heart based leadership because they are universal. This leadership will feed your soul and engage your heart.
  
 
This leadership is an ever-evolving journey. There are roads to travel and paths to take and many things will feel unpredictable and unreasonable.   
 
The truth about Leadership is…. you are a leader and you don’t need a title to demonstrate leadership on all levels and across all boundaries.
  
 
Lead from within: the purpose of our life is to discover our leadership, the work of our life is developing leadership and the meaning of life is to teaching our leadership to others. If you accept all of your life your leadership will not have been wasted.


Lolly Daskal is one of the most sought-after executive leadership coaches in the world. Her extensive cross-cultural expertise spans 14 countries, six languages and hundreds of companies. As founder and CEO of Lead From Within, her proprietary leadership program is engineered to be a catalyst for leaders who want to enhance performance and make a meaningful difference in their companies, their lives, and the world.

Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.


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30 Responses
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to “The Truth About Leadership”

  1. Tony Butcher

    13. Feb, 2012

    Inspiring principles

    Reply to this comment
  2. Alex Dail

    13. Feb, 2012

    About the only people that really can’t be leaders are of course those that really don’t want to lead. reading the research of experts the weight of what is out there shows everyone has the potential to lead.

    Just like everything else it takes dedication to learn the skills and practice. Thanks for the encouraging article on leadership.

    Reply to this comment
  3. Parta Winata

    14. Feb, 2012

    Reading and trying to understand, thank fo being inspiring today..

    regards

    Reply to this comment
  4. sherwyn

    14. Feb, 2012

    Not only can everyone lead from where they are, not only can anyone drive change and inspire others, but they should! We should! Great Tuesday morning reflections, thank you Lolly!

    Reply to this comment
  5. Nic

    14. Feb, 2012

    Thought provoking. Challenging. Inspiring. Thanks

    Reply to this comment
  6. Mutaz

    14. Feb, 2012

    True the feeling is enough it can make you see and express leader ship even though your title is not that big it enough to my self only and this what counts

    Reply to this comment
  7. The Single Nester

    14. Feb, 2012

    Wonderful article, especially for today. Valentine’s Day – love yourself day. Sometimes, it is ok to follow too. That is completely alright.

    Reply to this comment
  8. Dan

    14. Feb, 2012

    While we may say we do not or cannot lead, we often see others who we believe can and do. A good question to ask is “what do they have that enables them to do this?” and this inevitably specifies something that has been projected onto these other people — confidence or a skill or a something that has not yet been found in ourselves. “Yet” is the important word. The seven points you list, Lolly, are all things that help us find in ourselves what we see in those others. Knowing that this thing we see in them is just a mirror image of what we have yet to own in ourselves can be a very helpful opening to our own self-empowerment.

    Reply to this comment
    • lollydaskal

      14. Feb, 2012

      Dan,

      Have I told you that I love when you visit my site and leave your brilliant insights.

      If I have not… I am stating it publicly now. Your insights are spot on.

      this is the truth…

      “Knowing that this thing we see in them is just a mirror image of what we have yet to own in ourselves can be a very helpful opening to our own self-empowerment.”

      Thank you for sharing

      Lolly

      Reply to this comment
  9. Simon

    14. Feb, 2012

    Beautifully put Lolly. As you say, we are all leaders of heart and at heart.

    Humanity shouts to us all, lead lives of compassion, heart and passion. This life we are all given is fleeting and can be over before you realize. But lead, and lead with the confidence you were born with when you took your first breath and life brightens, It becomes colorful and alive with possibilities. As you engage and connect with the world you will see many places where leadership is just a natural thing you do, you open a door for someone, help out where you are needed without being asked. Stay a little longer at work because you want to do the job to the best of your ability. Help your children with their HW. Stand up and be a voice where others are not so able. Offer help to a fellow human.

    This is all leadership and no less than leading a company, a department or a team. Those that think otherwise have misunderstand what leadership is. To live by setting an example is leadership, you are influencing others to do the same, to follow your leadership. We are leaders of ourselves first, then our families our friends and colleagues.

    As you say:

    “the purpose of our life is to discover our leadership”

    Leadfromwithin, and you will find the leader within.

    Reply to this comment
  10. Vikrama Dhiman

    14. Feb, 2012

    Absolutely inspiring.

    Especially the “Lead from Within” adage. We try and make sure that every member of the team at Online courses on WizIQ understands that they are a leader. Leadership is not about titles but about leading others. And one can do that in one’s own sphere. But, only if you are prepared to Listen Within, Be Brave, Hold Values and Make a Difference. You first have to lead yourself, before you lead others.

    Glad that I started following you on Twitter. This is a fabulous blog.

    Reply to this comment
  11. Lyn Boyer

    14. Feb, 2012

    Lolly, I have seen the word “inspiring” a number of times in the comments, and that is just the word I want to use. Your comments are inspiring. I would like to see more people recognize themselves as leaders…of their families, their communities and then their organizations. The idea of leadership is sometimes scary, but I think it is important to offer support and encouragement to those who find a passion and a purpose. Too often, people are passionate about something, but they do not know what to do. I like your quote above, :the purpose of our life is to discover our leadership.” I think the purpose is also to help others to find it.

    Reply to this comment
  12. Randy Conley

    14. Feb, 2012

    Amen Lolly! Every one of us is a leader in some aspect of our life. If nothing else, every person needs to realize they are a self leader, responsible for seeking out the direction and support they may not be able to give themselves. Being a leader doesn’t come from having a title or position, any more than being a dad or father comes from producing a child. We all have leadership within us. Sometimes we just need others to help us see it within ourselves.

    Reply to this comment
  13. Crystal Davis

    15. Feb, 2012

    Thank you for so eloquently expressing what I’ve always known to be true!! All of us are called to lead… few of us have answered the call … up until now!!!

    Reply to this comment
  14. Crystal Davis

    15. Feb, 2012

    I would also like to recommend to readers the book Strengths 2.0 by Tom Rath and Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath… both by the excellent research of the Gallup organization. Leading by your strength (there are 34 of them) and particular leadership category of (executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking). Great tools to help you lead from wherever you are!!

    Reply to this comment
  15. Enrique Fiallo

    15. Feb, 2012

    Wonderful post. I especially like the part “to act as witness to the roads, detours, and highways you have traveled, you will come to understand that where you stand, no one has ever stood before”. There are so many lessons to be learned from the crossroads and detours, that we can share with others that have not stood there or taken those paths. I heard an interesting story about how a fairly new staff member working for a large company had made a $3 million dollar mistake on a project she had been assigned to. She was called into the CEOs office. With trepidation, she said, “I suppose you called me in to fire me”. The CEO responded, “why would I fire you when we just invested $3 million on your education?” She learned from that detour, and the leader recognized that there was so much value in taking that detour, that not only she learned from, but that others in the organization could learn form as well. Thanks for this post!
    Enrique Fiallo

    Reply to this comment
  16. Samir Atalla

    15. Feb, 2012

    We all have something we excel at, and accordingly we can lead a team or lead an action in our area of excelling, expertise & knowledge.

    Reply to this comment
  17. Sam

    15. Feb, 2012

    It’s a great post that focus on the heart based side existing on everyone of us to be the leader of tomorrow . If actually all the great people who are leading this world in any of the fields were acting fromthe heart theni think our planet willfeel a liitle bitbetter than how it is today

    Reply to this comment
  18. Dane Zeller

    17. Feb, 2012

    Any one who is a parent leads.
    Anyone who is a child will lead when their parents need it. Enlightened managers welcome leadership from down the corporate ladder.
    It’s all around us. Embrace it.

    Reply to this comment
  19. Dan

    19. Feb, 2012

    Hey Lolly,
    Great site! Keep it up,

    Let us know if you ever feel like doing guest post. We’re always looking for new writers.
    http://www.thisboundlessworld.com

    Thanks!
    D

    Reply to this comment
  20. Chris Gold

    19. Feb, 2012

    Loved this post. Just finished building up Year 12 students with same message. They need to read this too as great follow up.

    Reply to this comment
  21. Chidinma

    20. Feb, 2012

    Such truth in this post. Leadership definitely from the heart. Great post!!!!

    Reply to this comment
  22. Karl Duff

    21. Feb, 2012

    I really enjoyed this post. I firmly believe that leadership is an action, a role we can, given the opportunity take on. I ask my class to try to define Leadership in their own words; it’s a real struggle and inevitably they often list leadership attributes or identify famous leaders.
    We confuse leadership too often with leaders, and I think this creates one of the barriers you mention, how can we achieve leadership when we have leaders on such pedestals? I feel leadership is about gaining authority through your performance rather then using your authority that comes with a title and/or position. I find we erect walls in the form of “if only’s”, we seem to believe that “if only” something else happened we could be better/happier/fulfilled etc. My suggestion is to be present – lead from where you are rather then where you aspire to be.

    Reply to this comment
  23. Mitch Mitchell

    03. Mar, 2012

    I think your most important part above is values because their what makes your attempts at leadership pure. People can tell a phony but when they know you really care about something they’ll respond in kind. Great post.

    Reply to this comment
    • lollydaskal

      12. Mar, 2012

      Your inner wisdom is your instinct tell you … you need to make a change. its main concern is not going to be your level of comfort. It knows what is ahead. your inner wisdom is potent and very present. it does not worry about the future because its handling each moment in the present moment.

      Reply to this comment
  24. Dr. Eric J. Romero, PhD

    20. Jun, 2012

    Lolly

    Everyone is born to lead? Give me a break! People believing this is a major part of the reason why there are so many poor leaders. Most people are definitively not born to lead; nor can they be trained to lead. This is not only true for humans, but for social animals too! The dreamy idea that everyone can do anything is just plain false. Everyone has limitations. No about of “you can do anything you want” can change that. In fact, most people don’t want to change even if it were possible.

    Dr. Eric J. Romero, PhD
    CompeteOutsideTheBox.com

    Reply to this comment
  25. Mighty | Transformational Leadership

    13. Jul, 2012

    Hi Lolly, I’ve been following your Tweets for some time now. It’s my first time on your blog though. Lots of amazing insights here. Indeed, leadership comes from within, it glows and spreads to the people around us. That will then lead us to make a difference.

    Reply to this comment

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