“Be yourself, everyone else is already taken” is a quote by Oscar Wilde and he’s so right. “Be more like your father” is another. “Look at Jim you should be more like him” or“Who do you think you are?”

These are all common phrases and I’m sure many of you have had them said to you in one shape or another at some time. It’s as if you are not good enough, special enough or worthy enough to just be you. Vow to step up and be you from now on – it’s so much easier than trying to be someone else or another individuals version of you. The world is waiting for your debut and some vital points need to be considered for you to let go and shine.

To start off, consider these questions – think about them and feel them too.

• Who am I – really?
• What do I stand for and believe in?
• What are my core values and principles?
• What are my passions, talents & skills?

I was recently facilitating a leadership programme for a group of 21 senior, global, leaders. We spent some time looking at these questions (and others) and it was revealing how many people had never really considered these points, never mind sharing them or examining how they related to their day to day work. It got quite emotional for a while but it also revealed that many of the group were not being true to themselves and were therefore not as happy and/or as effective in their role as a leader as they deserved to be.

Could this be you and if so, what impact is it having on your happiness, success and effectiveness as the leader of your business?

In one exercise, where we were discussing motivation, I shared a Daniel Pink video called 'What’s My Sentence.' He addresses the need to create a a sentence that describes the impact your leadership has on others. Think about what your sentence is or could be and how knowing that, sharing that and aligning your business to deliver that, could elevate you and your business to a whole, new level.

Here’s my sentence – she creates environments where people flourish and can confidently make their unique contribution to the world.
And for good measure here’s my personal mission too – I have the possibility of being a courageous and inspirational leader for others.
What’s yours?