A former athlete I had the pleasure of coaching a handful of years ago contacted me for an interview for a college course she is taking on leadership (long sentence). I spend a lot of my time asking questions and actively listening, so it was interesting being interviewed with the expectation being that I would impart wisdom and advice (note: imparting wisdom and advice = not my favorite thing).
This young woman plays on a college basketball team. She shared that her team’s last season was a struggle, shared that she wished she would have spoken up more. She shared that she wished she had more tools to help the team get back on track. I know we have all felt that way before, wishing we would have spoken up about something, and wishing we had better tools in tough situations.
She asked me to define leadership. As a life coach, of course I immediately wanted to turn it around and ask her, “How would you define leadership?” but I knew she was eager to get on with the assignment.
For the sake of her assignment I decided I better give her an answer. I was quite pleased with myself when my brain quickly brought up my personal mission statement. This is a statement I drafted for an assignment years ago, a prerequisite for my initial life coach training. Since then I have edited it several times. I am proud to say now it is how I [try to] show up in daily life, and I can reel it right off.
“I am a bold servant-leader for Christ who equips, inspires and empowers others.”
Boom.
So my current definition of “leadership” is being able to equip, inspire and empower others.” I am curious:
How do you define “leadership?”
Who is a leader you admire? What traits about this person appeal most to you?
What is your personal mission statement?
If you don’t have a statement, what are your core values?
Who is in your sphere of influence(s)?
How do you lead?
One of my favorite things about life coaching is delving into the art of powerful questions. Taking time to reflect on questions like these helps us become more confident about speaking up, and helps us find tools to navigate tough situations. So take a minute to answer these questions, and let me know what you come up with!
