For over 10 years, I have had the privilege to serve leaders in different industries and countries, with over 4,000 hours of coaching – including 8 years of being a Tony Robbins coach.
This length of experience allows me to see the patterns and the specific needs of anyone going through their leadership journey.
I call it the 2 phases of leadership with 4 stages of evolution.
During the early stages of our professional lives, we often focus on our progress to acquire more skills, knowledge, and experiences.
We work hard and learn to be better at what we are doing.
We develop self-leadership.
In this phase, we suffer if we don’t have clarity, vision, and self-awareness. We tend to conform ourselves to the outside world’s standards and expectations. It’s an ongoing stress and a constant feeling of unfulfillment.
The satisfaction is momentary and frustration comes often.
For the people who succeed in self-leadership (the first phase), in theory, it is time for them to step up to lead others, which is now the second phase of leadership. They start the leadership journey for others.
Now, this is not about how they lead others or how they become great leaders.
In fact, it is nothing about them.
It is about others. This is the time when we learn how to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. We learn to let go of ourselves and our egos. We strive to become true leaders who don’t lead but serve.
However, as we were focused on our performances and progress during the first phase of our leadership, it becomes difficult to shift and change the focus from ourselves to others in a short time.
We start to doubt, feel guilty and be judgemental. It only stops when we begin to shift the focus.
Like becoming a parent, the need to build a new identity arises. Same person, but with a different purpose.
Some people find themselves in leadership positions without developing self-awareness or self-mastery first.
They tend to be focused on others without knowing who they really are. Because of this, they become people-pleasers or just simply obsessed with the expected outcomes. But the feeling of uncertainty and unworthiness starts to creep inside.
The true art of leadership is finding the balance between being your authentic self and serving the world as you want to see it.
Now let me ask you, which stage are you in this leadership journey?