One of the things most leaders I work with have in common is that they’re great at what they do.
Before leadership was part of their remit, they smashed it in their chosen area of expertise.
Creativity, tech, engineering, project management, fund raising – they learned, grew, developed, made mistakes, specialised.
And rightly they built enviable reputations through hard work, expertise and consistently delivering results.
In fact it’s often this success that brings them into leadership in the first place.
When this happens, it’s rare that they’re given meaningful guidance on how to lead in their own way—playing to their strengths, making the most of opportunities and challenging their doubts.
Instead they do their best. Have a go. And in many cases this is good enough.
Somewhere along the way, many start looking around for clues on how a leader should behave.
They borrow approaches from former bosses, colleagues, books and podcasts. They try on different styles, hoping one will fit.
But there’s a problem with this: Leadership can start to feel like wearing someone else’s shoes.
You can walk in them for a while, but it never feels quite right. You spend more time thinking about how you’re leading than actually leading.
For emerging leaders, this often shows up as a lack of confidence. You find yourself hesitating, second-guessing decisions and worrying about getting it wrong.
For more experienced leaders, it can look different. You know what good leadership looks like, but something still doesn’t ring true. You find yourself working hard to maintain a style that doesn’t play to your natural strengths.
Some of the best leaders I’ve worked with don’t copy someone else’s approach; they develop one of their own.
They understand their strengths, values and expertise, then build a leadership style around them.
This allows you to show up when things are going well and, importantly, in moments of stress and pressure.
So how can you do this?
Think of a leader you admire.
One that you loved working for. Perhaps someone you observed at a distance.
What specifically do you admire about them?
Then ask yourself: how can I take those qualities and make them my own?
Great leadership isn’t about becoming someone else.
It’s about understanding who you are, knowing what matters to you and leading in a way that plays to your strengths.
If you’ve been leading in someone else’s shoes for a while, it may be time to put on your own.