Identity In Leadership

I was recently reading an article about how Identity impacts Self-Control.

It technically uses the phrase "Self-Concept", but that's just another word for Identity.

Multiple studies have found that the Identities we have, or those we don't have, will impact the Control we have over our Lives and Choices.

When we lack a sense of Identity, we will become Prey to many different things that do not aid us toward our Goals in Life.

For the past couple of days, I have been talking about how many people quickly Fail their Resolutions.

We are at about 25% now, by the end of the month we will be moving toward 50%, and by the end of the year, 91% of people will have Quit.

91% of People!

There are a variety of reasons, but often these reasons are Interconnected.

One aspect of that Interconnection has to do with Identity.

If we have not formed a certain type of Identity, we will find it hard to maintain the Changes that we want.

So, in Life, we have to first start with Self-Leadership.

If we want to get to our Goals, we must Lead Ourselves, and become an Exemplar of what we want.

You can't just "say" that you want something, you need to "do" something about it.

If you want to become a person who is "fit", you can't just "talk" about working out, you have to "do" workouts.

But we can get sabotaged from the "doing" when we haven't established an Identity around what we want to become.

So, let's look at the different Types of Leadership Identities, and what I call The Core of Leadership.

EE

It has often been said that we are Products of our Environment.

Now, there are a few different ways to interpret that.

Some people believe it means that we have no control of who we are and are simply doomed to the forces that we find ourselves in.

According to the Psychology, there "can" be truth in that.

There are Identities that are placed on us that come from the Environments we live in.

You could call these Environmental Expectations (EE).

We "can" accept those.

Our Parents have beliefs of what a "Good Child" is and expect you to be that.

Our Teachers have beliefs of what a "Student" should be and expect you to be that.

Our Bosses and/or Employees have beliefs about who "You" should be and expect you to be that.

Many people DO choose to be those things.

They DO choose to "accept" those Identities.

But you don't "have" to.

As the article above points out, if you don't have your "own" Identity, others WILL place Identities upon you.

If you allow that, you will not have Self-Control of your Life, and you will become what others push you to become.

However, there are other Identities that exist that allow us to Change this.

CM

We have the ability to choose Identities we do, or do not want to Live.

When we "choose" an Identity, it is like wearing a Mask.

Now, a Mask can be worn or removed either by choice or by certain circumstances in Life.

This gives us Conditional Masks (CM).

For Instance, say you have a Child.

You can place the "Mask" of a "Parent" on.

You can also choose to place the "Mask" of "Absentee Parent" on.

Your choice makes it Conditional.

This Mask you choose has certain Responsibilities involved with it.

However, those Responsibilities can also change, and therefore Conditionally you get a new Mask.

We generally think that "Parents" take care of their Children, it's their Responsibility.

But what happens when a Child becomes an Adult you no longer need to provide for them?

You gain a new Mask of "Empty Nester".

The Conditions lead to different Masks at different times.

Our Environments can dictate these Masks, or we can Choose our own Masks.

The same applies in Business.

We can "choose" a Mask to Wear - what work we do, what type of Leader we want to be, how we Communicate.

All of these go into making the CM of Leadership.

RS

Now, let's think of EE as a Spotlight.

When the Spotlight shines on our CM, it creates a Reaction.

That Reaction is seen as a Shadow.

When our EEs meet our CM, it Creates a Reactional Shadow.

These are the Hopes, Fears, and other things that are involved in the Interaction between our Environment and the Masks we Wear.

If we take the Parent Example again, what are New Parents always afraid of?

They ask, "Am I going to mess this up?"

That is a Fear, a RS, of the interaction between the CM of "Parent" that you choose and the EE of what a "Parent" should be.

They are worried that "their" way of doing "Parenting" will be looked down upon by the Environment they are in.

There is nothing wrong with the Reactional Shadow, they are just byproducts of the Interaction.

The same thing happens in Leadership.

"Will they Listen to me?"

"How am I going to get my Team to Achieve this Goal?"

"Oh, I'm not looking forward to seeing..."

All of these are RSs of the Interactions between the EE and CM you have as a Leader.

The Core

That leaves us with our last Identity.

This is what I call the Core.

Behind the Masks that Change, and what the Shadows sometime covers, is something else that does not Change.

No matter what Environment we are in, no matter what Circumstances Change in our Lives, no matter what Fears, Hopes or other Emotions that we Feel, there is an Identity that is Unchanging.

We often don't realize that it is there, but it is.

We get so caught up in the Environment, the Masks, and the Shadows that we forget the Core exists.

However, it is the Core that has the greatest ability to help us Succeed as Leaders.

It is the Identity that is the Rock in the Storm.

Unmoving, Unyielding.

People who understand what their Core is tend to be the types of people that others WANT to Follow.

These Individuals can often act as the Rock that others to cling to in the Storm of the Environments we find ourselves in.

Understanding "this" Identity is a Powerful Tool that few people truly realize.

Final Takeaway

Let's take this back to the beginning.

These Identities, and how we interact with them, give us more Power over our Lives.

They create stronger lines that we won't cross.

It gives us more Self Control in our lives.

If you choose a CM to eat Ketogenic, then you know that Sugar is something you ALWAYS say no to.

If you choose a CM to be a Parent, then you know that you can NEVER abandon your Child.

If you choose a CM to be a Better Boss at work, there are certain actions you REFUSE to take at Work.

There are lines that you Refuse to cross, regardless of what our EE tell us, we won't cross them.

We may feel different RSs in our Lives, but we realize that they are understandable Reactions and don't allow them to push us in directions we don't want to go.

Then, the Core supercharges everything in life, as it allows us to see past all of these other factors, both in ourselves and in others.

People who lock in these Identities are the types of People that achieve their Resolutions.

They are the one who reach Goals.

What Identities do you want to have as a Leader?