The Tribune

By Michelle M. Miller

The highway of life is constantly flashing a neon sign, which reads, ‘You Are Here’. The purpose of this bright sign is to clue you in that you are wherever you find yourself. This is not a difficult thing for most to understand until they find themselves in the middle of some colossal shift.

Well, you are here - the paradigm of life has dramatically shifted and you are where you are. The challenge is do you have the confidence to shift your mind to meet your life right where you are.

Leadership is about many things. One of which is liberation. The leadership challenge in this new paradigm is finding the audacity to liberate the leader within you.

Without confidence and deliberate leadership development, your ability to bring forth your leadership power will itself be a challenge.

On a personal level, what do you see as the leadership challenge? How do you assess level of confidence to meet the challenges of this new paradigm?

The reality is leading today requires something new, something different. Leaders of change are looked to lead their followers to an improved outcome. People everywhere are seeking direction and a sense of meaning.

Leadership challenges you at all levels, emotionally, intellectually, physically and spiritually. Whatever skills you used to get you here, will be insufficient to get you there.

Life itself is about leadership. You must develop the confidence to effectively lead your own life. In this new paradigm, the old model of looking out there for somebody to lead you to ‘greener pasture’, must give way to the notion of leading yourself.

This does not mean you do not need help or support. What it means is by having a clear understanding of leadership, you are better able to select whom you choose to follow.

Every leader of change must model himself or herself after somebody who possesses the qualities they seek to develop.

Modelling is the leaders’ way. They learn by doing and they are adept to change. Because life itself is about change and every change brings its own set of challenges. Every leader will face these challenges in one way or another.

At its core, leadership is about creating a vision, setting goals, illuminating a path, and persuading others to follow. It also means communicating your vision in a way that inspires others. In addition, you must possess the wherewithal to follow through.

What are your leadership abilities? When it comes to the leadership challenge, are you confidently prepared?

Messrs. Kouzes and Posner said – ‘the abundance of challenges is not the issue. It’s how we respond to them that matters. Through our responses to challenges, we all have the potential to seriously worsen or profoundly improve the world in which we live and work.’

This speaks directly to this new paradigm and the need to meet challenges with an evolved thinking. You must journey beyond the status quo; creating a comprehensive plan of action for your leadership development.

What I find most fascinating about this new paradigm is not only rapidity of the nature of change but also the amazing reality that anyone, giving the right level of confidence, can position them self as a leader of change.

This means that by developing leadership skills, you level the playing field. Leaders of change are truly the leaders of the future. They understand that while every new paradigm presents a new set of challenges, it also produces a new set of leaders prepared to lead the way.

Key to confident leadership is your authenticity and identity about who you are and where you stand. You must understand yourself enough to stand under your own leadership philosophy. A philosophy erected by you based on the core values that frame your life.

Leaders of change break barriers. They do not wait for change to happen; instead, they happen to change. They also know how to keep things in perspective. You cannot meet any challenge without adequate emotional currency.

Leaders need the emotional intelligence to rise above the chaos. Rather than focusing ‘out there’, they work instead on fixing ‘in here’; cultivating the right internal soil to plant their leadership seeds.

Qualities seeds you may wish to consider are my 4 Cs of Leadership – which are the cornerstone of leadership confidence. They include Courage, Competence, Credibility and Capacity.

Courage is the foundation of these four cornerstones. It takes courage to change and it takes change to meet the leadership challenges of life.

Competence is about your skills and proficiency. It speaks to your know how and the degree to which you can present yourself with unwavering competence.

Credibility is the heart of leadership. Without credibility, you have but an empty shell. It represents trustworthiness and integrity. Sadly, credibility is one key quality that is often absent among many so-called leaders.

Let us be clear – holding the position without having the credibility is nothing more than a sham, which will give way under pressure.

The final and most fundamental cornerstone is your Capacity. You cannot lead without the capacity to lead. Your capacity is only as wide and as deep as your knowledge and skills. Bear in mind that you can only take others where you have been. Leadership capacity building must be an ongoing task.

These fundamental qualities are the strong cornerstones of leadership. Without these cornerstones, you may find it difficult to stand in your own shoes as a self-assured, leader of change.

Taking the lead in your life is about learning to meet your life right where you are. Trusting the process and deepening your inner strength. The true challenge for leaders and those who aspire to lead, is developing their leadership toolbox.

Remember, it does not matter the size of the challenge. Make today the day that you take the lead in developing the cornerstones of confidence to meet and overcome the leadership challenge of this new paradigm.

Now, more than ever is the perfect time to shift your life paradigm

Please send your comments to coaching242@yahoo.com or 429-6770.

� Michelle M. Miller
Michelle M. Miller is a certified Life-Coach, Leadership Expert and Author of Take The Lead. She is the CEO of TTL Coaching Strategies and founder of the Girls Leadership Coaching Club. Questions or comments can be sent to email – coaching242@yahoo.com or telephone 429-6770 or visit www.taketheleadbook.com or snail mail to P.O. Box CB-13060.