Leadership 4

I was recently interviewed for a dream opportunity and one of the questions I received was, “What are 4 leadership qualities that I find most important in a trainer/coach?”

Here I go into the four that came to mind. Some were instant, and another popped into my head. Looking back, and even in the moment, I realized these were so imperative to any success I am looking to have. I also find them to translate to anything we are looking to accomplish in life. Here are the 4:

Approachability, Listening, Risk-taking, Showing Up.

Now these do not fall in any particular order, and I don’t believe that these are the only qualities out there that are crucial to leadership. These are simply the four that work for me, and I will look to take a deeper dive into them in this piece.

Approachability

This has always been around for me, and I don’t know where it came from. Unlike some of the other traits, this one wasn’t learned, at least not consciously. Although I am sure that I picked up along the way as I noticed it being an important factor into building relationships, service, and opportunity.

One cannot help if one is not there. So, this is all about showing that you are available to help. More importantly, this can refer to helping in the moment and/or helping at a later time. Approachability will show up in a first impression, so this is a great way to say, “Hey, I’d love to interact again!” With an impression like this, it can usually lead to connection. That is where the second quality comes into play.

Listening

If one is fortunate to have an interaction with another, this is a key ingredient. Listening is ultimately what brings on connection and real value – for both parties!

This is a skill that I certainly have had to work on and still do! I realize, even though it comes from a genuine place, at times I am ready to bring on my portion of the conversation, idea, etc., instead of taking time to take it all in of what is being communicated to me.

I had to learn to let go of my thoughts and really be in the moment of what one is telling me. Even if I think I have the answer, I am learning to hear out the whole question. Even if the conversation is going down a direction that I am not too fond of, I know taking it all in is the way to go until it is my turn to speak and/or share. One will never be reprimanded for listening too much, so there can be focus on this aspect.

With listening, I also learned that a lot of the answers I am searching for or think I have, are being answered in the current conversation – it just took me being more attentive. Now with this approach, both parties are able to get the most value from each other.

Risk-taking

I then took a few seconds to think about #3. I looked up and saw a campaign poster that I was familiar with, and it just hit me. I don’t know if it was the campaign or what, but it would make sense if it was. The campaign in my eyes was a risk-taking campaign and once I had it in my head, I knew this is a quality I believed in, and went with it.

This is something I have been working on too and have incorporated more into my personal trainings and group fitness classes. I truly believe one cannot reach their full potential by playing it safe. This is where risk-taking comes into play.

As for a formula for ‘how-to risk-take’, not sure I have it down to a science but there is something that I do for it. Whenever an idea pops into my head that is a bit out of the norm, I feel like it should be a go. There is a reason it’s in my head. I don’t like the word, should, in this situation, and maybe what I ought to use is, ‘need’.

The one thing I know I need to do when I have this sort of feeling about a particular idea is explore and see what the pros and cons would be of doing it. Usually after doing that, there are way more pros. Even then though, there is that fear that creeps in, and the reason for the fears are another whole topic.

The final thing I will say about risk-taking here is that every time I did go with the risk, I almost never regretted it. I would be willing to bet that the same held true for you too.

Showing Up

A big part of my mantra recently has been to show up. The previous three qualities can all fall under this category.

With showing up, I believe it is not only important to show up for others, but also for yourself. We all know that we are here to serve. Here is to serving that some love to ourselves, and work.

The help that we can provide first comes about by what we go through, so I find it extremely important to live the message, live the lifestyle. Simply put, practice what I preach. Am I still working on this? Yes. The key though is that it is being worked on. So as long as we are working on being our best versions, I believe this is the true foundation of showing up.

Being a leader is something that will be a continual project and we all have it in us to be one. If there is a pull in that leadership direction that you feel, that is a calling, and your heart is an incredible leader. Let it guide you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Always appreciated. All the love.