It's a natural motivator to know who you are.
By Theresa Witham
Doug Nielson presenting at CUES Symposium in early February.[/caption] To be successful as a leader, you need to be focused. To be focused, you need to know who you are at your core, said Doug Nielson, CSP, MSW, LCSW, author, performance interventionist, coach and psychotherapist, at CUES Symposium: A CEO/Chairman Exchange earlier this month. “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want,” he said. If your core doesn’t immediately show itself, the following exercise from Nielson will help. There are four value components of your core, Nielson said.
Become: In one word, who would you like to become? Write a core statement around that word. Then think of actions that will help you achieve it and when you need to complete them by.
Experience: What experiences would you have in your role in the next 90 days? Again, think of one word for the experiences; then write a statement based on that word and define the actions you need to take.
Contributions: What contribution would you like to make? How would you like to contribute in the next 90 days? Follow as above with the word, statement and actions to take.
Connection: Who would you like to connect with or connect with more in the next 90 days? This is about the relationships you want to improve or start. Here’s an example. If your core word for become is “listen,” your statement might be: “I will be a good listener at work and at home” and the actions might be: “I will ask three follow-up questions. I will look people in the eye when they are speaking. I will empower them.” “The nice thing about identifying your core [is] you don’t need anyone or anything to motivate you. This is a natural motivator because this is who you are,” said Nielson. “When we have that clarity, some fun things can happen and life becomes easier. It becomes less exhausting.”
Theresa Witham is a CUES senior editor. Similar to an organization’s brand, your leadership brand is a reflection of how you are perceived by your peers and other staffers. Students in CUES Elite Access: Leadership Brand and Shadow course will examine how their leadership affects the entire credit union and how to be the leaders they want to be.
