Reflecting on my Leadership Identity and leadership traits to cultivate throughout my doctoral journey.

There is no doubt that leadership is all about influence. Essentially, Leadership Identity is about your presence in the world. A person’s physical, mental and emotional attitude, as well as their readiness to tackle challenges and hopefully make a positive impact. This is something I constantly think about. How will I “show up” every day and for each interaction? My goal is to show up looking and acting like a leader, with the attitude and mindset of a charismatic and effective leader.

Values, mindset, actions, and responses define my Leadership Identity. My own experience is the best way to illustrate this. Health and wellness are among my top values. Throughout my life, I’ve been influenced by my role models, my sports as a child (cheerleading and track), and my habits (for better or for worse). In my leadership identity, this value – along with the mindset, actions, and responses associated with it – is continually evident. It shows up in my energy, attitude, creativity, and overall presence in a room.

My readers know that I have been transparent about my search for confidence growth. Being a great leader is not an easy task. It requires special traits that few people actually possess. The process of becoming an influential and trusted figure, who attracts respect and makes others want to follow, takes preparation and a lot of work. I’ve come to the conclusion that everything does not have to be innate. I can learn how to become a great leader who IS confident.

One of my go-to actions used to be to hide in the shadows. My new journey is teaching me to come out of hiding and fill the room. Being more present, asking the right questions, and taking the initiative.

Another pivotal trait is integrity. In order to truly be a great leader, I need others to believe in me. I can accomplish this by ensuring I am consistent in my attitude and my values. When I act, make decisions, and think in accordance with high-standard values, I give my actions legitimacy with others, which makes other people more likely to follow me.

Something else I need to work on is communication. Communication is key. How many times have we heard this repeated, how many times have you said it? It is certainly true that I have professed to be an excellent communicator. As my integrity alarm activates, and I am called upon to be most honest with myself, I must admit I need to improve how and how often I communicate.

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