Leadership Presence Series – Post 7 of 16: Quality #3 – Drive To Be More, To Grow
Posted on
Did you know that a constructive dissatisfaction with your personal status quo (the drive to be more, to grow) is one of the keys to genuine leadership presence? Does that seem counter-intuitive? Then I’ll explain…
Introduction
If presence is a key to leading successfully – and it is – we need to understand it. So what is it? What’s so great about it? How does it show itself? What’s the source of presence? How do you develop it? That’s what we’re covering in this 16-part series.
Welcome to part 7: Quality #3 – Drive To Be More, To Grow.
What Is The Drive To Be More, To Grow?
This third quality is the urge to fulfil your potential by continually surpassing your previous level.
Yes, it is about expanding your knowhow and skill. But it’s also about renewing your self-image by penetrating beyond superficial analysis to see and understand what’s holding you back within your mind.
You could see this quality as an internal dynamo that ensures we don’t stand still, giving us the spur to develop and express the other six qualities of presence.
At the beginning, it shows as the push for personal growth, to break free of personal limitations.
Further on, as your self-esteem and sense of connection with colleagues grows, it can morph into an urge to lead a fulfilling life, often showing in leaders as a wish to serve – which takes us on to the fourth quality.
Why This Drive Matters for Leaders
It ensures that while people might view someone with presence as superior and having all the answers, the person won’t see him or herself that way. They’ll recognise their strengths, but won’t believe there isn’t more to learn.
Thus, they’ll have a sense of perspective, a healthy humility.
Harnessing the Drive
The key to harnessing this drive is ensuring it comes from a place of authenticity rather than insecurity. When fuelled by insecurity, the Drive To Be More, To Grow can lead to:
- Overwork and burnout.
- A fruitless pursuit of perfection.
- Decisions driven by fear or vanity rather than wisdom.
That’s why it’s so important to work on this quality in concert with the other six qualities of presence.
Questions for Reflection
To deepen your understanding of this quality, ask yourself:
- How important is a sense of continual personal and psychospiritual growth to me?
- To what extent do I act on this drive to grow in my daily life?
- How well do I know my strengths and weaknesses?
- To what extent am I gripped by pride – by the sense that I know all I need to know or that I don’t need to change or improve or look at my flaws?
Next post in the series: Quality #4: Balance
[This post uses content from my 2016 book, The Three Levels of Leadership.]
Are you a visual or audio-orientated person? If so, you might prefer to see and hear me talking about leadership presence in my eleven-episode video series on YouTube at my YT channel, The Leadership Mastery Suite. When you arrive at the channel page, scroll down until you come to Created Playlists and there you’ll find the series, “On Leadership Presence”.
