Who are you?
If I asked you who you are, how would you respond? Most likely, you’d reply with your name and job title, right?
Now, why is that? I didn’t ask you what you DO, I asked you who you ARE. Turns out, a lot of us define ourselves by what we do – turning our day jobs into our identities. Now, don’t get me wrong, your job takes up 40+ of your 168 hours each week so it is a huge part of your life. But why has it become the ultimate identifier for us?
During 2018, I had the incredible opportunity to take part in the FLY (Future Leaders of YMC) program. I could say a lot about the experience and everything it taught me about leadership, the industry, my coworkers and myself. I could write blogs upon blogs about the personal breakthroughs that I made during my time as a FLY participant, but I’ll focus on just one today – my identity.
I learned that being a leader is more than the job title stamped on your name plate.
A higher location in the chain of command does not equate to improved leadership skills, and a change in status does not magically make you a leader. Your actions do. How you motivate your team, how you converse with your coworkers, how you delegate and communicate with your people and how you inspire success in those around you define your leadership skills.
