The Importance of Your Story
What is leadership? More importantly, what qualities and skills are required for good leadership? How does one become a good leader?
That will be the topic of conversation over the next month. There are countless materials explaining what makes a good leader—books, articles, and blogs all discussing the difference between being a good leader and a manager. Different skill sets and qualities are involved, but the key difference is the story behind the person. A select amount of people in leadership are good managers, and fewer can be good leaders. A person has risen to a "leadership" role for a reason, and the majority possess particular skills and qualities that allow them to excel in this role.
Over the course of the next month, I will share how to lead an organization and how you can be a good "leader." Good leadership starts by leading yourself before leading others or an organization. This blog applies to those individuals currently in leadership and those with goals to be in a leadership role.
This first blog will discuss launching a career plan, challenging yourself for more significant opportunities, reframing oneself, and positive intent. The second blog will discuss solving problems, building a team, asking questions, and discovering your leadership voice—a look at leading others. Lastly, the blog series will focus on leading an organization and how to create a positive culture—communication and make an inspiring future.
But, before the series begins, I want to return to my note on the critical difference between managers and leaders and their stories. Yes, some crucial skills and qualities determine the difference between the two, and even the point of stories; managers will have good stories, too. After all, we all have unique stories that make us who we are. I am making a point to be introspective, tell your story, and learn who you are and the future you want to create from your own story. One may wish to avoid this when thinking of leadership, but knowing your story and self is crucial to success.
At K&J Strategic Solutions, we open with an exercise called “Share Your Story” at any partnership meeting, strategic planning retreat, or staff retreat. We ask participants to tell us how they got to where they are today, their passions, experiences, and more. This exercise helps participants and connects the staff, board members, or partners by allowing them to learn new things about each other.
So, I will leave you with my abridged story. My grandmother raised me at a young age, a woman who fought polio, a divorce, and raised four children on her own before I was even born. My grandmother has always shown me what determination and perseverance can do. She wanted me to have a better life than she could offer, so she had my cousins adopt me, and I moved to Virginia with them. My adoptive mother has been an influential role model. She is a strong, career-driven woman who has always pushed me—primarily not to my liking. My adoptive father, as a photographer, science, and computer geek, is more of the quiet type. He has shown me to allow my creativity to flow and that anything can be fixed. Although I struggled to decide what I wanted to do through college, I continued to try to find my way. After junior year, I took some much-needed time off and returned to finish my degree stronger than before. I even received straight As in my final year. I found my niche in the retail world when I found my passion for merchandising (my dad's influence) and nourished my ability to connect with people and empower them (my mom's influence). My career trajectory changed, and I took on different managerial and leadership roles. It wasn't until I was working at the Library of Congress that I realized with the help of a Career Development Program that what drove me—that fire within us all— was helping people and organizations solve organizational or programmatic issues and empowering people simultaneously. So, I pursued a master's in organizational development and change. I began working in the nonprofit sector, helping train and empower individuals and organizations. Yet, I did not see the changes or impact I wanted to see first-hand. That is when I decided to take a chance on myself and trust that fire within. I left the company I worked at and started K&J Strategic Solutions. I found that in consulting, I can work more closely with individuals and organizations to recommend changes, help them implement them, and see the impact of these changes.
This is my brief story of how I got to where I am and how the most important people have influenced and impacted that story—playing a vital role in me and my decisions. As you read this, think about your story. How did you get to your position? Who influenced you? What or who has had the most profound impact? Are you currently doing what you want or aspire to?
