Boss Mentality

The Thrill of the Lead

Welcome to the world of leadership friend. Congratulations, you're here - or, maybe you're on your way here, in which case, welcome to the journey. As a new leader, you're on an exciting adventure, full of challenges, growth, and, of course, rewards. There's something exhilarating about being a leader don't you think? The influence, the responsibility, the impact you can have. For many of us, it's not about the status or the ego boost. Leading is an opportunity to make a real difference, to impact the world in a positive way. Whether you're leading a team at work, a community organisation, or a group of friends, your actions and decisions can shape the direction and outcome of the group. That's a pretty epic AF feeling, right?

Being a leader isn't easy, so what psychologically attracts us to leadership?

1. Professional growth: As a leader, you'll have opportunities to learn new skills, take on challenging projects, and advance your career. By taking on a leadership role, you're signalling to those around you that you're ready for more responsibility and that you have what it takes to succeed.

2. Personal development: Leadership is not just about what you do, it's also about who you are. Successful leaders possess high social intelligence, the ability to embrace change, and inner resources such as self-awareness and self-mastery. These traits are attractive to many of us because they allow for personal growth and the ability to positively impact others. These are all valuable skills that will serve you well in all areas of your life - basically, better relationships that are deeper and more meaningful, more satisfaction in your personal time as you learn more and expand your way of thinking and it also fosters a broader, more accepting mindset as you learn about others and the value of diversity.

3. Influence and impact: Being a leader gives you the power to make a difference. You'll have the opportunity to influence the decisions and actions of your team or organisation, and to make positive changes that will benefit everyone involved. "The greatest and most powerful leaders hold visions larger than themselves. Leaders leverage the power of their position to positively influence others, and to create real lasting change and impact - helping others to achieve more, become more and give more." [Thanks Tony Robbins].

4. Recognition and respect: Being a leader is pretty impressive. People will look up to you and respect you for your leadership abilities. And, as you succeed in your role, you'll likely receive recognition and maybe event significant financial benefits. I think it's important to make the distinction here that you should want the recognition so that you're proud of yourself, and not do it for anyone else. 

As much as the allure of leadership can be exciting, it can also be overwhelming and kinda scary. It's a bit "yikes" when we realise that we're responsible for so much more now, the livelihoods of the people in our team, the results of our own work and our teams contributions, and along with that responsibility - comes greater visibility. Now more people can see us, they see our wins but they also see our failures.

Let's not forget though - that leadership is a choice. You're in this role because you WANT to be. You CHOSE to be a leader. 

You made the intentional decision to step up into this, and you must have had your reasons. Grab 5 minutes now and reflect:

🤔 Why did you create this opportunity for yourself?

🤔 What were you originally hoping to achieve for yourself by becoming a leader?

When we remember our "why" - it can help us understand what's driving us and can help us balance the excitement of leadership with the scary parts of leading. Your ambition is what drove you to lead, and your ambition and motivation will continue to be a crucial tool of progress for you. We want to avoid is being afraid of our own ambition. When you embrace your ambition and take steps towards your leadership goals, you are actively building your future. Each small step you take towards becoming a better leader is an investment in yourself and your future success.

But it's important to remember that your ambition is not just about achieving a certain job title or salary. Your ambition is about becoming the best version of yourself, and that journey is ongoing. It's about continually setting new goals and pushing yourself to grow and develop as a leader. So, embrace your ambition, take those first steps towards your leadership goals, and trust in the journey. Your future is waiting for you.

When you reflect on your own ambition, how would you respond to these questions:

🚀 What does success look like for you right now? Are you there yet?

🚀 What does success look like for you in 12 month's time?

So we've articulated a couple of key points here for ourselves:

- I chose to be a leader.

- It's important to me because [insert your personal answer here].

- My ambition got me here, and will continue to fuel my progress.

- Success for me looks like [your answer here bb].

When you look at the scope of your ambition and potential, it can be daunting to figure out where to start and what to do next. Ambition is positive, as we've talked about it's what pushes us forward and encourages us to take steps towards our goals. The flipside of ambition is that it can cause us to get REALLY excited about the dream goals, and then you have that feeling of your stomach dropping out when you look at the end goal vs. where you are right now. Let's not be the leader (or mountain climber) that panics and falls off the side of the mountain - instead let's use our ambition as the cheerleader it can be, and "hype girl" ourselves to the top. 

Ambition: your forever hype girl

Four ways to overcome the ambition overwhelm:

🌏 Be clear in what your next goal is. Sure, you've got a dream end goal (yay!), but what's the mid term or short term goals that will get your there?

🌏 Write a plan. I know this sounds obvious BUT how often do you write insanely detailed, beautiful plans for your work projects - but then when it comes to your own growth and goals, just leave it all in your head or don't even get to the stage of mapping out your plans. This can be where a big part of overwhelm can creep in, when we look at the goals and it's "how da f****" am I going to get there, and where do I start? 

🌏 Get comfortable with the duality of your ambition. Learn to talk yourself through what you're thinking. Have a terrifying thought about failure? Talk yourself through it: "Whats the worst case scenario here? How can I mitigate that? What would I do in that worst case situation? What other, harder situations have I made it through and suceeded?".

🌏 It's also important that we validate our own feelings. Scared? Cool, it is scary. I hear you, I see you. Just don't dwell on it. Move forward, focus on action, reflect on your goals.

Enjoy - and good luck legend!

VB

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The Epic Leadership Accelerator Program opens in July. Are you in? Transform the way you lead, claim your confidence and have your growth plan written out and delivered to you week by week.

Get first access before doors open and apply over here.