By Carla Samson
There is a new type of leadership accelerating on our planet at this time. With the rise of digital media and social networks, we are living in a fascinating time of influence and impact. People are no longer only looking for a leader with dozens of letters behind their name, people are looking for a leader that sparks personal inspiration and motivation. People are looking to see what is possible, to see the potential of where they want to go mirrored back at them in another human being.
That inspiration and motivation are not based on hollow words and promises from a leader leading from a hierarchical chain of employment. This new wave of leaders on our planet are the people committed to showing up as themselves, with the intention of leading from a place of embodied inspiration.
These are the leaders who lead themselves. These are the leaders who inspire others to lead themselves; leaders who are devoted to their own transformation committed to transcending their own places of weakness and living to tell the story, showing up in a place of radical vulnerability and connection.
Leadership is changing rapidly because we have come to a place in our human existence where we are now craving vulnerability and connection.
So we turn to the leaders who have walked through the struggle we are going through. We look to those telling their empowering story, those who have been able to transform their story of struggle and heartache into a positive message, where the lesson was learned and then shared.
I find in business that what I would call “the old paradigm of leadership” is a deeply misguided idea that leaders should never show any signs of weakness, or else they will lose credibility within their community or niche. I see this changing. Perfection in a leader is a lie. The key to life is growth, and if you are wanting to be a leader, embrace that you will stumble, you will fall, you will pivot, and your most empowering strategy is to be radically honest, and to show who you truly authentically are.
This is what inspires others! Your ability to show up, despite your fear and doubt and the challenges you face, and to genuinely and transparently reveal the growth you are moving through and the lessons you are learning.
Your ability to transcend your struggle, learn the lessons, and live to speak about it is what makes you a leader.
When we lead ourselves, we are no longer just leaders in our place of work or business. This is an invitation for us to lead ourselves within relationships, within a community, and within our own personal development, where everything and all things come from a place of self-awareness and a place of personal responsibility. We lead from a place of inspiration by BEING a leader, not for anyone else, but for ourselves.
We take responsibility for what we want and desire, whether that be the success of your business, or the love within your relationship, or a particular lifestyle, or a desire to be of the greatest service.
Here are some great questions to contemplate for embodying personal leadership:
What does it look like and feel like to take radical responsibility for everything that happens in my life?
What does it look like in my life to feel that everything is happening FOR me and not TO me?
These two questions have transformed my life, how I share, and how I lead myself as I have shown up to inspire and share my story on social media every single day for the past year.
As a high-performance lifestyle and signature branding coach, I specialize in serving entrepreneurs who are committed to leading themselves first. Those who are ready to step into the spotlight and leverage social media and digital platforms to accelerate their signature brand and message.
Find out more and how you can work with me in my 1:1 coaching platform or in many of my digital online empowerment and branding courses at https://www.carlasamson.com
