PHYLLIS YOUNG

EXERCISE 1.2: LEARNING ABOUT MY LEADERSHIP

Review your Path of Life, think back over all your leadership experiences in your lifetime. Choose the leadership experience of which you are proudest. In this exercise, put yourself back in that time and describe it as if it were happening to you right now.

Describe your proudest leadership experience, starting with the specific events.

What happened? ____________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ __________________ __ ___________________ ____________________________________

What was the history or climate of the organization I was in? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

What triggered the experience? What caused me to step up and lead? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

What was the outcome? What changed in the people in the organization as a result? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

How did I feel ...

Before stepping up to lead? _______________________________________________________

When I first stepped up to lead? _______________________________________________________

When facing the challenges of the situation? _______________________________________________________

After the results were in? _______________________________________________________

What things did I just learn about my leadership as I told this story?

1. _______________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________

Now let's probe more deeply into your experience so that you can gain even greater insight into your own story.

What leadership qualities did I bring to that leadership experience?

1. _______________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________

How did those qualities contribute to the outcome? Link an outcome to each of the qualities you listed above.

My Leadership Quality Its Effect on the Outcome

1. _______________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________

Draw on what you have read in True North about the dimensions of authentic leadership. Referring to the experience you just related, rate yourself on the following statements using a 1-5 scale (1 = Not at all and 5 = Very strongly):

Dimension Rating

I understood my purpose. _______________________________________________________

I practiced my values. _______________________________________________________

I understood my motivations. _______________________________________________________

I used my support team. _______________________________________________________

I was an integrated leader. _______________________________________________________

Now, be your own mentor.

Turn back to this story again and look at it from the perspective of the leader you have become since that time.

If I were mentoring myself at that time, what advice would I give? _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

In the same spirit, make a list for yourself.

One thing I did really well: _______________________________________________________

One thing I could have done better: _______________________________________________________

One thing I could try next time: _______________________________________________________

In this exercise, you've taken an important step in understanding who you are as a leader and what is important and effective in your leadership. You have thought about what happened, who you were then, and how you can learn from that peak leadership experience.