We’re looking at the many practices and simple ways that enable a person to demonstrate leadership – to themselves and to others, perhaps as individuals or as part of a group or community. What enables the people you see around you to promote and facilitate the best in themselves and in others? What other aspects of leadership can we observe that have a significant impact on the lives of people around us?
Self-leadership is in recognizing and allowing ourselves to be who and where we are, acknowledging the journey to learn what we didn’t know before. Self-leadership is sometimes described as radical honesty and transparency, without which we cannot actually create and unlock true learning potential.
Part of the emerging picture of leadership is a nuanced
conversation about collaboration and competition. Are they indeed polarities, or is there a way to integrate competition as part of the sport of collaboration? It’s a conundrum we don’t need to resolve, but instead follow the inquiry and explore whether we have experienced the competitive spirit as an encouragement to bring forward our best.
There's self-competition, you can call it, which is healthy. That's where the learning happens. That's where the exploration happens. That's where I can say, “Oh, I've made a mistake.” Or I can apologize for something I did that really isn't the standard I want to uphold. These are examples where if you can be alive and vulnerable with other people, it's a type of leadership.