a leader like you

Do you feel like you could be a leader but think you aren’t strong enough?

When most of us think of a leader, we think of substantial qualities like courage and fearlessness. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’ve never had the qualities needed to become leaders. However, most would be very surprised to discover that some of the best leaders draw their power from very subtle qualities—Albert Einstein and Henry Ford, to name a few. This week I’ll be speaking about subtle but powerful qualities that are among the best leaders tools.

I’d like to start with one of my favorites, that sneaky sensation of intuition. The quick jab of truth and guidance that pokes you and then seems to fade. Does it fade, or are we tuning it out? The working definition of intuition is the ability to understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning, or what we usually refer to as our "gut".

In my experience, intuition is quiet but complicated. I spent most of my youth clearly hearing my intuition and then promptly ignoring it for some outside influence when making decisions. And believe me when I say, it was at my own peril most of the time. We tend to dismiss intuition for self-fulfilling prophecies like:

"So, how is my intuition a pathway to leadership? It’s not even a strong quality, right?"

"I think I’ll stick with what my friend said to do; he makes a lot of money."

How can we hone our intuitive skills? Improving self-awareness is a great place to start.

Who has a great story about intuition? Who is ignoring it and wants help?