Source: Dall.e/OpenAI
Leadership development has become a full-fledged industry. Walk into a bookstore (or scroll through Amazon) and you’ll find shelves filled with books about emotional intelligence, servant leadership, agile leadership, and transformational leadership. Add to that an endless supply of consultants, webinars, certifications, and frameworks that claim to be a silver bullet, and it’s no wonder leaders feel overwhelmed. Honestly, doesn’t deciding which model to follow feel like trying to choose the “perfect” diet, be it keto, paleo, vegan, or intermittent fasting? Yo.
But leadership development doesn’t have to be that complicated. In fact, the best path forward may simply be to go back to basics. Fundamentals means digging into what already shapes you: your personal and professional experiences. These experiences are key to understanding your strengths, identifying your blind spots, and finding ways to grow as a leader. It’s what I call “experiential intelligence,” the wisdom that comes from life itself.
So let’s ignore the noise and look at it in practice. Whether you’re working on your own growth or helping others grow, we’ll show you how to start with what you already have: your life and experiences.
1. Think about your personal values. Your values shape every decision you make as a leader, even if you’re not consciously aware of it. Take a step back and ask yourself: “What’s really important to me?” Is it integrity, creativity, collaboration, or something else? Identifying your values will help you align your leadership style with what’s most authentic to you. Helpful. For example, if collaboration is one of your core values, focus on creating a space where your team feels safe sharing ideas and collaborating.
2. Identify strengths gained from experience. Recall the defining moments of your life, both personal and professional. What challenges did you face? What lessons did you learn? These moments may have shaped your perspective and decision-making style. For example, if you learned resilience from overcoming adversity, you’ll gain deeper insight into your experience and the strength it brought you so you can apply it to future business challenges.
3. Find your blind spots. Just as experience creates strengths, it also creates blind spots. Maybe you’ve always avoided conflict or are overly reliant on certain skills. Be honest with yourself about where you need to grow. For example, if you find yourself avoiding difficult conversations, make a plan to learn and practice conflict resolution skills.
4. Ask for feedback. Sometimes people around us see our patterns and behaviors more clearly than we do. Ask your colleagues, colleagues, and even your team, “What am I really good at? What can I do better?” Then please listen. For example, if a team member points out that you’re dominating a meeting, commit to practicing active listening in all future sessions.
5. Align your development goals to your role. Your leadership growth must align with the challenges of your current role and your direction in your next role. If you’re leading a fast-growing team, focus on skills like delegation and culture expansion. If you are in a turnaround situation, prioritize resilience and strategic thinking. For example, a startup founder transitioning from “doing” to leading can focus on learning how to delegate tasks effectively.
6. Use everyday situations as opportunities for development. Leadership growth doesn’t just happen through formal programs. Look at daily challenges as opportunities to build skills. Need to handle difficult clients? Now’s your chance to practice negotiating. What to do if you miss a deadline? Maybe it’s time to hone your problem-solving skills. For example, if a deadline is missed, instead of assigning blame, use it as a learning moment to gain insight into the root cause and work with your team to improve the process.
unlock leadership
Leadership is not about memorizing models or repeating the latest buzzwords. It’s about being authentic, learning from your experiences, and helping others do the same. By leveraging what you have learned from your personal and professional journey, you will not only grow as a leader but also set an example for others.
Leadership essentials
So forget the hype. Please go back to basics. Your experience is the key to becoming the leader you want to be. Use them to unlock your future.
