A compelling leadership story will help you build a strong followership and connect with a generation of workers who are known for seeking genuine, relatable leaders to follow. When you write your leadership story, you distill your message and connect with the inner drive that propels everything you do as a leader.
In the video below, you can view the leadership story that keeps Lisa Doyle, VP of Global Learning at Booz Allen Hamilton, connected with her purpose.
For more about Lisa’s story, listen to episode 14 of the Talent Champions podcast. You can use the questions below to help you think about your own leadership story:
What happened in your past to shape the leader you’ve become today? How did you reach your current point?
Describe a time when you thought you lost a major opportunity, only to find that what happened instead turned out to be the better outcome.
Who influenced you (positively or negatively) along your journey to becoming a leader? Why were these individuals influential?
Who is one leader that inspires you? This can be someone you know personally or a public figure you’ve never met but always admired. What qualities of that individual’s leadership do you admire and wish to emulate?
When you’re in a position of leadership, what do you expect from the people on your team?
What do you want your followers to expect of you as a leader?
What are your values? How do they affect the way you lead?
Once you’ve answered these questions for yourself, think about how you want to communicate the story that emerges. Will you include humor? Do you want to strike a chord emotionally? Will your story be accompanied by visuals? What are the most important points to include?
When you’re ready, share your story with a few trusted individuals and ask for their honest feedback. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to take your story to a broader audience!