“You don’t have to become something you’re not to be better than you were.” – Sidney Poitier
Continuous improvement is something that every great leader strives for. They understand that performing at the same level in the same way today that they did ten years ago won’t work. They need to develop new skills, and they need to behave differently.
Sometimes it can be difficult for leaders to figure out what those new skills & behaviors should be. In the world we currently live in we are bombarded with ideas and data and information. There seems to be a never-ending parade of people telling us what we’re supposed to do to be successful.
I can’t tell you exactly what needs to change about you as a leader. Every leader is different, the organizations they lead are different, and so on. Being a great leader will mean different things for different people in different places.
Here’s one thing it won’t mean: trying to be something you’re not. So many leaders get caught up in trying to emulate someone they view as successful. Maybe it’s a famous politician or world leader, or maybe it’s someone who’s done well in business.
Certainly, we can learn from those people. But we need to learn whatever we can and then apply it to who we are. Everyone is wired with different traits, and everyone experiences different things that shape them over the course of their lives. The goal needs to be to become the best “me”, not an imitation of somebody else.
The best way to start is to figure out who you really are as a leader. Think about what you do really well, and what kinds of things energize you. Think about what you struggle with, and what kinds of things drag you down. Then take what you know and use that to build the best you.
Becoming the best leaders we’re capable of takes an entire career. We can never stop growing and learning and doing new things. That’s true whether you’re 25 or 50 or 75 years old.
But one thing has to be constant: We can’t pretend to be someone else. We have to be us. And that’s more than good enough.
