Defining Your Leadership Identity

Check out existing classifications

There are many existing leadership categorizations out there, including the well-known ‘13 leadership styles’. By taking some time check out these different categories you can get an idea of which one resonates with you the most- and given that the categories are fairly broad, maybe you feel your leadership style lends itself to a few of these categories. Equally, you might find some of the categories unappealing, which can be just as helpful in deciphering the kind of leader you don’t want to be- and identifying characteristics you want to avoid. You can then research, based on these categories, how you’d work best– for example, democratic leaders require different tools to thrive than that of a ‘laissez-faire’ leader.

Look to leaders you admire

Take time to assess if there’s a leader in your existing organization, in your community, or in wider society, that you really admire. What is it about them that draws you in? What qualities of theirs would you want to emulate? Looking to real-life examples of good leadership can be especially helpful when determining your own leadership identity as it takes theoretical ideas of strong leaders and puts them into a translatable context. For example, we may all aspire to be empathetic leaders, but seeing first-hand how someone in your organization demonstrates that quality can inspire you to realize what’s actually possible. You could even reach out to some of these leaders for potential mentorship opportunities for even more insight into how they have managed to be successful in their role.

Acknowledge any gap

When thinking about the type of leader we’d like to be, it’s easy to list out a ream of enviable qualities and skills that’ll help us get there. But making time to assess which of these skills and qualities you already possess vs. which ones you’d need to work on (and which ones simply aren’t realistic) can be a hugely useful exercise. Taking time to reflect like this will allow you to double down on your existing strengths, identify your weaknesses and work on any gaps. For example, imagine you aspire to be a leader who fosters innovation and encourages creative problem-solving within your team. You might list qualities like creative thinking, risk-taking, and the ability to inspire others. When you assess yourself, you might realize that you already excel at creative thinking - you're naturally an ideas person who is curious and often seeks out diverse perspectives. However, you might also discover that while you value risk-taking, you tend to play it safe in practice, avoiding decisions that could potentially fail. On the other hand, you might find that inspiring others is an area where you need to develop more, as you’ve noticed your ideas sometimes fail to resonate with the team. By identifying this, you can find other ways to build that skill, so that when the time comes for you to make one of those big decisions in leadership, you’ll have already proactively developed that skill, rather than waiting for the perfect opportunity to arise.

Be open (and willing) to change

Defining your leadership identity is a hugely beneficial tool to help steer your leadership in a positive (and authentic) direction. But like any identity, it’s subject to change - and that’s a good thing, because it means you’re evolving, not stagnating. With that in mind, being open to change and maintaining a fluid sense of your leadership values will ensure that you’ll be able to handle the constantly changing landscape of your organization and wider society. By accepting that your leadership identity isn’t a static entity, it’ll grow with you as you accumulate more skills and knowledge, equipping you with the confidence to know what to keep and what to shed.