To be authentic, unique and individual you have to know who and what you are, which comes through self-reflection. How can you know who you are if you are following everyone else?
Self-reflection puts you in a state of personal harmony, causing you to experience less anxiety. You aren’t worried about another person’s position because you’re confident enough to focus on your own. You have nothing to hide which allows you a freedom to be yourself followers do not experience.
When you’re authentic you have the healthy ego fundamental for great leadership, rather than the ego of an insecure competitor. To be the great leader of anyone or anything, you have to dig deep, lead with courage and practice empathy.
You have to be secure enough in yourself that you are able to lead while considering of the ideas and feelings of others.
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When you live authentically you have no time to waste emotion on temporary and sometimes necessary setbacks. The focus for you is always long term and on what possibilities patience and hard work will garner when you continue pressing forward. You are relationship-oriented. The authentic leader knows certain battles must be lost to win the war.
The reason people trust you is because you keep your word, you are not emotionally labile and people sense they can trust you to be who you say you’re going to be with a sense of consistency. When you're authentic you do not take yourself too seriously and are able to laugh at yourself.
Lightheartedness is indicative of your state of inner wholeness. Those who follow the pack are always anxious because at any moment someone could steal their temporary glory, causing them to sacrifice their integrity to "win."
You think with vision, which always adds value to the people you interact with. You are able to help others realize their higher professional goals. You push yourself and those around you to consistently raise the bar for excellence. Self-development is pinnacle in your life and you insist others delve into themselves in the same way in order to rise above the pack.
When you are a listener, you are a learner. As a genuine person you thirst for the truth. When you are dedicated to the whole truth in any given moment, you live life in touch with your deepest and most profound inner parts; allowing you to be the full expression of who you are. This is what authenticity is all about.
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Followers are always defensive. They are sensitive to criticism, easily threatened and offended, and determined to win others over to their point of view. This is the marker of their insecure self-concept.
When you are truly self-confident you exude a sense of inner worth, assurance and composure. You are unashamed of your mistakes and don’t hide your weaknesses. You have the courage to be who you really are.
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You are consistent in who you are, and have no need to satisfy someone else’s criteria to feel good about yourself. This solid foundation is what makes you consistent, and it is also what makes you so generous in your assessments of the worth of others. You aren’t fickle. You stick to your principles and are not easily swayed by superficialities.
Followers are so selfish, insecure, and out-of-sync that they get defensive and angry when confronted with the need for change; killing the cohesion of the team by highlighting their inability to blend well. Success in life requires constant adaption. Those who master this skill are headed toward success and contentment.
You can draw upon experience to work wisely through each new challenge you face on your road to success, making you more confident that you will be able to handle whatever hardships your future holds. There is no better teacher than life. The leadership skills you possess have slowly evolved from real-world experiences and life stories.