Tip 217 - Determining Your Leadership Philosophy

Everyone has a philosophy for leading. Take time to reflect and write out your leadership philosophy, providing a clearer understanding of the forces driving your decisions. It also ensures you are aligned to the principles and values that are crucial to your success and wellbeing.

Developing a leadership philosophy is a necessary practice to establishing your leadership framework. It is your structured approach and guiding statement for reference while leading others, expressed in words and modeled through actions. Someone close to you should be able to tell you what your leadership philosophy is without being prompted.

To determine your leadership philosophy, reflect on these questions:

• How would I like to be perceived as a leader?

• What gaps are there between what I do and what I would like to do?

• What leaders do I admire and why?

• What leaders do I dislike and why?

• What are my values and principles?

Next week’s leadership tip will discuss how to craft a leadership philosophy statement.

“Leaders become great not because of their power but because of their ability to empower others.” -- John Maxwell