Power Tool: Leadership vs. Mediocrity

A Coaching Power Tool created by Janhavi McKenzie
(Life Coach, UNITED STATES)

Leadership has less to do with the size of your company than the depth of your commitment. Leadership isn’t about authority. It’s a choice about doing your best work each and every day, regardless of where you are planted. Robin Sharma

Personal Leadership

When we look at the definition of the concept “to lead” we find it means to provide a route or means of access to a particular place or direction, or to be in charge or command. In every moment of life, we can positively influence every individual and every circumstance we encounter, leading all people in our lives to a place of greater love, respect, hope, inspiration and caring. We can lead in our own little corner of the world.

Typically we identify a leader as someone who holds a particular title such as Captain, President, Chairman of the Board or CEO. But the truth is we all have an inner leader inside of ourselves. Life is just waiting for each of us to show up brilliantly, sharing our gifts, being our best. As a leader in everyday life, we can influence the lives of others and transform the world, while being a waitress, a software engineer, a small business owner, a nurse, a coach, a nurse, etc.

The new paradigm for leadership is about everyone bringing forth their gifts and their love into the work place. This love means love for self, love for other, love for the Divine, love for our work, and love for the planet. Where ever we are planted, leadership invites us to show up with the commitment to do our very best every day, in every way. Leadership is about showing up every day at 100% saying,

Yes! I embrace my life and all that is in front of me with commitment, enthusiasm, innovation, motivation and mastery.

Leadership is about bringing motivation, commitment, and creativity to every task that is in front of us to do.

It is empowering to choose to be a leader in one’s life. If we choose to be less than all we can be, we settle for mediocrity. In mediocrity, one gets comfortable in a life that lacks growth and inspiration. Mediocrity means that we are clinging to limited and negative self beliefs that hold us back from being all we can be. Mediocrity is listening to negative self talk. Mediocrity is giving in to personal barriers and cultivating low self esteem.

When we are committed to our personal best in everything we do, bringing excellence plus enthusiasm to our job, we show up as the leader we are destined to be and our work, our jobs are the best place to show up and lead from.

Coaching Reflection

• Where in your life are you holding back?
• What would it be like if you were to show up like a leader in this area?
• How do you think mediocrity affects your life?
• Why do you think you might choose to be mediocre?

Finding the center of strength within ourselves is in the long run the best contribution we can make to our fellow man. Rollo May

Achieving Leadership within Our Lives

To begin to recognize and identify our own leadership qualities, we need to have self awareness. We need to know who we are and know what our values and strengths are. When we start living from our strengths and values we learn to trust and believe in ourselves. We live authentically. When we embrace the courage and the initiative to be all we can be, when we bring forth our gifts and express our talents generously to the world around us, we show up as a leader within our own lives.

It is important to notice the relationship between where you are right now and that which is your absolute best. From this awareness you can work daily to narrow the distance between the two. This is about fulfilling your potential, being brilliant in every moment, in every situation. Remove the beliefs, the blocks, and the distractions between you and your personal best. You need to stop making excuses, stop blaming others for why you aren’t showing up at your best or for the challenges you encounter. When we don’t embrace our potential, we turn away from our truest self and that’s an invitation for pain and disillusionment.

A key to leadership is to take action. Small steps taken every day, will lead to large results, to achievement. Doing nothing leads nowhere. The more you own your power to make choices, the more powerful your choices become. Become passionate about improving everything in your world. Make a commitment to make the world around you a better place for you and everyone in it. Rather than defining success by what you get, define success by what you give.

Be so good people can’t ignore you. Steve Martin

Over time you will become masterful in what you do. Mastery comes from working with focus, effort, patience and consistent action. We simply need the courage to get started.