Sometimes we leaders are so bogged down with leadership competency development, balancing leadership paradoxes and managing high performing teams that we ‘forget’ our own uniqueness. We create strength and power at the expense of our uniqueness – were real power lays.
Just like our fingerprint, we have something unique. Deeper than our drives and motivation. It’s our unique way of being, just like great artists – Freddie Mercury, Stromae, Leanordo da Vinci. Our way of scoring, our way of leading; our signature in the world – like the finger print. For leadership: how a leader casts a vision, inspires people, build teams.
When we develop leadership competencies we channel our strength although we lose out energy on a different level. Honouring our signature, gives us energy since we stay true to who we are. We need more then strength. It fuels our impact because we stay close to the motivation that we have at heart and the unique ways that feel so natural to us. We start to own our role, beyond strength, competencies and key performance indicators.Yet creating our signature and natural leadership isn’t easy.
“To be natural is such a very difficult pose to keep up.”
Oscar Wilde
It requires for leadership to dig deep beyond operating from their personality or ego consciousness – our signature is closer to our core. We might also need to work on our leadership signature. I knew this leader, great at communicating, naturally expressive, involving all the senses, it was such a pleasure to hear him speak. Although there wasn’t much room for others or for him to listen. His team was checking out.
It also requires courage. Can we break through shame, fear, perfectionism or the need to be strong and big to show our signature and own it? It requires development beyond the ego, showing our true colours – beyond the expectations of the masses.
When we lead from the ego we become effective, when we lead from our signature we become inspiring. Just like legendary soccerplayer Frenkie de Jong – player for Barca at the moment and the Dutch National team. His signature move is a lust for the eye and a source of inspiration for leaders. The field is his and he conquers the opponent with his unique signature move.
Frenkie de jong shows us the way: his signature move
He’s a midfielder and since his childhood developed his unique signature move. It’s typically Frenkie. Unique, his rhythm, his style. It’s a lust for the eye. You might wonder how the move looks like? I can tell you that what he does is a bit of a feint like he’s going one way but he instead spins out the other way. Sometimes my words are overrated, please watch the video.
The leadership lesson: find your leadership signature move(s) to be successful.
We can participate in leadership development or knowing how to manage high performing teams and stakeholder although that doesn’t cut it. We leave our core untouched our uniqueness. Just like Frenkie our way to impact the world. It’s a leadership challenge, cause the deepest level of human development always involve purpose and identity.
Our uniqueness is related to our identity and therefore we must dig deep in ourselves for answers, sometimes beyond the ordinary consciousness. Seekers shall be finders and if we continue digging and thorough reflection, we might end up with glimpses of our uniqueness. It can be:
- The way you reach goals.
- Connect with people.
- Create a vision or get a team behind a vision.
- How you get a team working together.
- How you empower a team.
- How you influence stakeholders.
We have to get to the core of what’s unique to use, find our signature and strengthen it and use in the same way as great artists. Stromae, Freddie Mercury, Steve Jobs, Rothko, Leonardo Da Vinci. Embrace it, nourish it and you’ll be a natural leader.
Imagine Freddie Mercury standing on stage, are you visualising Wembley as well? He cannot play another role than being Freddie and playing with the public, he’s so natural – and doesn’t give a !@!#±!##. Freddie wouldn’t be a great performer if he only managed the skills of signing, performing and entertaining the public … he rocks our world with his signature, just like Frenkie. Different times, different playfields, both legendary.