Take a bunch selfies!

Take a bunch of Selfies!
 
That’s right!
 
If you want to possess the #1 leadership trait, take a bunch of selfies!
 
No, no, I don’t mean the kind of selfies where you pose in your favorite pose, smile your favorite smile, shoot from your favorite angle, in your favorite shirt, with your favorite drink, your favorite friends, your dog (don’t worry, I got you cat people), your marathon medals or your employees.
 
I mean the kind of selfie great leaders take all the time.
 
Revealing ourselves to ourselves is one of the hardest, most vulnerable and imperative things we can ever do.
 
Just ask my sister Brenée, she talk about this stuff all day.  Okay, fine, I’m not from Texas and don't have an MSW but we share the same last name, and she may as well be my synergistic weird girl twin!
 
The selfie I’m talking about is the continuous practice of self-awareness.
 
Totally unfiltered.

Sometimes from a less unattractive angle
 
When we constantly check in with ourselves to really see how we are showing up we have the opportunity to
 
1.     To ask ourselves if our behaviors and actions and are aligned with our values.
2.     Take accountability and course correct when we are aware we’ve been unskillful or out of alignment.
3.     Notice if we are in the BULLSHOULD™, the space between what is and what we think should or shouldn’t be.
4.     Work through our emotions and practice emotional regulation to be a more responsive and effective leader.
5.     Practice presence (and all the yummy stuff that entails) for ourselves and those we lead.
 
To me, self-awareness is the #1 leadership trait because without it, practicing empathy, kindness, adaptability, vulnerability, curiosity…are just buzzwords.

Connecting with ourselves is where connection with others begins
 
Please take a bunch of selfies!