If Leadership Is a Journey - Who’s Coming With You?

Does your path to growth feel more draining than energizing? Have you ever taken a moment to assess who is around you?

Today, I want to share some insights about community.

And by your community, I mean the people in your everyday life—from whom you learn, grow, support one another, share insights, and who energize you.

At the very beginning of my career, someone told me that careers are long and the final destination can be unknown, but what matters most is who you choose to get into the van with for the journey.

Then, the key question today is how do you find the right people for your journey?

Here are three things that are critical when choosing a community that fuels your leadership path:

1. Shared values, the ability to challenge your thinking, and to elevate your standards

2. The energy it brings into your journey

3. The opportunities it creates to practice leadership long before you hold the title

Let’s go deeper into each one...

1. Shared values, the ability to challenge your thinking, and to elevate your standards

Values act as a compass. If those compasses are not aligned, decisions can easily conflict with what truly matters to you.

It’s great to receive advice but a strong community will first challenge your thinking. They encourage you to brainstorm solutions, they will ask questions to understand your reasoning and take ownership of your decisions. They may still offer advice, but you will have options and the responsibility to choose your path. And they will give you constructive feedback about your blind spots.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You are the result of the people you surround yourself with”?

This can work both ways (positive or negative). Let’s focus on the positive side: imagine being surrounded by people who approach their work with excellence, kindness, humility, and strong ethical standards.

Then, what would this environment turn you into?

2. The energy it brings into your journey

We are energy and we exchange energy.

There is no need to exchange words, we see behaviors, actions, faces, attitudes and this could energize you or drain you.

Think about:

• The people you love having around you. What makes them special?

• The people who inspire you. How do they behave?

• The people who feel magnetic. What kind of energy do they radiate?

And finally assess:

1. How frequent do you have this kind of people around you?

2. How is your energy being drained, or amplified, by the people you interact with daily?

3. What will you change to protect and amplify your energy?

3. The opportunities it creates to practice leadership long before you hold the title

Being a leader goes beyond having a title or a specific position in the hierarchy.

Leadership skills can be developed at any level, and opportunities to lead toward a mission are available to everyone. Whether or not you are a manager (responsible for a group of people), you can find opportunities to lead within your company or outside of it through local communities, volunteering, and more.

However, being part of a community that knows your strengths exposes you to opportunities to lead: a project, an initiative, or even a group of people.

The right community doesn’t just support you, it gives you opportunities to lead. Are you stepping in?

I recently connected with a community that is very special to me. It made me feel at home, safe, supported, and empowered to lead and serve. I found it through the Catholic Church, my church, and this community is called ACTS—Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service.

This community has allowed me to find a sense of family while being far from home. It reminds me of what truly matters, the path I want to follow, and the leader who will always inspire me:

Jesus.

Without a community that believes in you, supports you, helps you grow, and aligns with you throughout your journey, the path can be difficult, heavy, and even lonely.

Who are you becoming because of the people around you and what are you ready to change?

Paola,

Career and Leadership Coach - Lead with passion, enthusiasm, and humanity.