My oldest son plays competitive soccer and the coach he’s been working with gave him a new exercise this past fall. Before every game, he chooses three players he wants to emulate. Then, he chooses three traits, skills or abilities that the player excels at like tackling, finishing, or crossing. He then takes that information to create game specific goals such as, read and intercept three passes or get four good crosses. It helps him focus his mind on the mechanics of a good game and not just the outcome of the score.
We can use a similar practice in business by deciding ahead of time how we want to lead, so even when we are making difficult decisions, we have something to anchor us. Start by picking 4 people that you admire and determine what it is about them, that stands out to you. What qualities do they possess that when you emulate, you show up at your best?
Next, look at your own strengths. What are your superpowers? Those things you admire most about yourself (yes, we all have them).
Now look at what you’ve written both about yourself and the people you admire, and narrow that down into four to six qualities that can become the traits of how you want to show up.
When you find that you are having to make tough decisions, it’s easy to lose sight of who you truly are and how you want to behave. Having a ready made list of intentional leadership traits, allows you to ask yourself things like “How would a resilient leader answer this question?” or “How would a leader with unshakeable strength solve this problem?” or “How would an authentic leader give this tough feedback”. All of a sudden, the answers become much more clear.
The beauty of it is, there are no right or wrong traits. You get to choose how you want to show up and what you want to be known for. By deciding ahead of time what that is and putting it into practice, especially when the stakes are high, you remain true to yourself through all of the tough decisions.
So what traits did you choose? I would love to hear about them.