“Just be Yourself … Whoever that is”

This blog was published on LinkedIn 17th December 2015 and  you can read the full text  by clicking here.

Here’s a taster….

“Just be yourself” can be the hardest instruction to follow.

Delivered along with a reassuring pat on the shoulder for  performers just before they take the podium or the lights go up, the guidance is designed to boost confidence. Instead it may prompt the nagging question: “So who exactly is that?”

We’ve all now read enough about emotional intelligence to know the need to bring our whole selves to any situation, if we are to communicate with clarity and authenticity. Yet a lifetime’s worth of bad habits (and occasionally some counter-productive training) can stand in the way.

Of course, we all know who we are. Yet in a new world where leadership is defined less by roles, rules or hierarchy – and more by the power to engage others by modeling values, empathy and behaviour or by making use of coaching skills, self-knowledge is a key life success factor.