What makes you an exceptional leader? You do.

We know unconscious bias exists, but it’s still eye-opening when women exhibit bias towards ourselves. 

Recently, one of our Members disclosed her reluctance to step into a people leader role. Her rationale? She’s not a big talker. Another talked about the imposter syndrome that kicks in when talking to highly technical experts in her field. She sometimes struggles to follow their thinking and wonders if she’s good enough. Yet another Powrsuiter feels out of her depth in her new role despite fielding job offers from seemingly every corner of her life.

One underlying belief unites all their concerns: there’s one right way to lead.

Of course, we think that. Everywhere we look, there’s the same dominant leadership style – the Muskaberg Bezumps of the world (yes, we merged those names ourselves 🥲). Many of us have accidentally internalised a bias based on our lived experience: You must have an outspoken, overly confident, and cutthroat personality to lead. 

It’s simply not true 

We’re in the age of AI, automation and hybrid/flexible work. In the knowledge economy, creativity, communication and problem-solving are paramount. While traditional leaders are still attempting to force employees back into the office, the rest of us have an opportunity to showcase another way.

We know diverse teams are smarter and achieve greater success. These diverse teams? They need diverse leaders. And all of us are far more unique than we may realise. With just 34 strengths identified in the Clifton test, there’s only a one in thirty-three million chance anyone else shares your top five in the same order. That’s great news. In this brave new world, successful leaders won’t fit into an existing mould; they’ll create their own. 

Embrace leadership on your terms

It’s not just our strengths that make us different; it’s the combination. Using the free High 5 Test, we discovered we’re both Philomaths (yes, we had to look that up, too – it’s a love of learning 🤓). We’re also both catalysts, which explains why we keep starting businesses together. But we combine these and our other strengths to have entirely different approaches to leadership. And both of them work. 

Your leadership identity will be different again, and that’s amazing! We need quiet introverts, and we also need extroverted generalists. We need visionaries, and we also need women who get sh*t done. We need inspirational speakers, and we also need unassuming influencers. 

Your difference is your superpower. Use it.

That narrow definition of leadership we all know so well? Don’t knock it; it did create some of the world’s biggest companies. But as with everything, what got us here won’t necessarily take us forward.

So, it’s time to address your internal biases and let go of the idea that you must be like someone else to lead. Get clear on the unique value you bring to the table, be proudly yourself, and go make an impact.