In My 20's...Pt. 12: "Leadership & Connections"

LEADERSHIP & CONNECTIONS

(with my employees are linked)

I have continually struggled with how to maintain my own identity while assimilating into a team. The solution to this situation, I found, was quite simple: You don't maintain it.

I learned that part of who I am, if I want to be an effective business leader, is realizing that I have to care about my teammates/employees more than myself. (This was especially hard for me, considering that I have only recently learned how to put people on the backburner and care about myself more than others because I'd spent my entire life putting everyone else before me.)

Yes, I risk being assimilated and losing my newfound “tough and independent” identity. The thing is that if it happens, it only happens for a fraction of a second and no one except for my even sees it! If the care and compassion I show for my employees is genuine, I realize that I come out on the other side the exact same person. Only this time people are willing to follow ME!! (Hence, a previous post referring to my success.)

Sometimes I am scared that I will be a permanent fixture on the backburner, but I just remind myself that I am the one in charge. I am the one calling the shots. I am the only one that could forget me. Somehow, knowing that the buck stops with me is thrilling, scary, exciting, and overwhelming all at the same time!

I have come to the realization that I don't have to lose who I have become just because I am a businesswoman. If anything, who I am inside of my business should enhance who I am in my personal life and vice-versa!

Wow, I didn't realize how much I have learned! I hope this has helped anyone else reading it, because I know that after reading this through, and the previous 2 posts, I have amazed myself with the knowledge that I have written in them! If I were reading these in passing, I'd have never thought I could write something so profound!

Guess this is just one more reason of why I am so awesome! =]