Transcript
In a game of leadership is everything. It is the foundation of anything you will ever create in your business, in your professional life, in your career. And this will be the foundation for your legacy. Why? Because as a leader, you will be always challenged, put on the spot and required to expand, grow and uplevel. With each and every round of your expansion, you will be asked to embody even more of who you really are because what is leadership? Leadership is the ability to share your authentic essence, take charge, go first, walk the talk and really [an] example of everything that you are here to give and to teach.
And the inner game of leadership boils down to your ability to create such a solid centred in a space that no matter what is happening around you, you can still stay in your truth. And from that place of truth, you make your decisions. That ability to be centred in your core as a leader, makes you more confident and it connects you with your sense of self-worth and your ability to stay centred and solid, no matter how, how you are rocked from side to side, with all the ups and downs of your path, as long as within you embody your leadership on the outside, it will show. So the inner game is the starting point of anything you do in your leadership.
It all starts with taking responsibility and realizing that actually there is no limit other than the one you put on yourself. And this is where responsibility comes in. Sometimes we are programmed to see responsibility as a burden, but as a leader, you know that with great responsibility comes great power. It’s when you decide that I am the only one who is responsible for my life. I am the only one who is responsible for my success. This is when you get into action. So step one, responsibility. Step two, commitment. Commitment is amazing because it allows you to close all back doors. With commitment, you can consolidate the power that you stepped into when you took responsibility. And commitment means I’m all in for this hundred percent, no matter what. And from commitment, follow steps, three showing up, showing up for yourself, showing up for your work and simply taking it one day at a time.
Do leaders have bad days? Oh yes. But what do you do when you have a bad day? This is when your inner game of leadership comes in. So when you’re having a bad day, maybe your partner said something that triggered you. Because the moment you put yourself out there as a leader, you become visible and you create rebels. And not all of those rebels will be in your favour. So what do you do? This is the moment where you take responsibility. You realize I am response-able I’m able to respond to this. Yes. Maybe I don’t like it, but do I have to live with it? How do I react to this? How do I respond? Who do I choose to be? Then you look okay, what am I committed to create? How can I show up today for myself? So this is just a basic example, but in general, changing the game is all about realizing that you have the power to change.
See some of us come into the leadership game, carrying baggage, maybe there are past disappointments from past business partnerships or still some memories from some old jobs. When you had a horrible boss or maybe in childhood, you were conditioned to not show your truth, to not show yourself. Maybe you are disrupted and you have a radically different idea, and nobody wants to invest in it. This is when the inner game comes first, before the outer game can come and place and changing. The inner game is all about realizing that you have the power over your story. Your story does not have the power over you. And when you’re responsible, committed, and showing up at work, then you start seeking out the right tools. You start seeking mentors, coaches, you create a support structure, but it all needs to rest on your absolute faith that you will beliefs your limitations, your past failures do not need to define you.
And even though sometimes it takes time to change all that, and sometimes it’s hard to master our inner reality, especially when the fear is really big or when the trauma from the past is really strong. It is your knowing that you can change this and your commitment to change this, that reframes the entire thing. So you don’t need to be perfect to be a leader. You don’t need to have all of your ducks in a row. You don’t need to even have done your healing work or be complete and have this perfect mindset and never, ever doubt yourself. So if you’re going to sit around and wait for the moment, when you start, stop doubting yourself and can just forge forward, you’ve got to be waiting for a long time.
So the inner game is not about removing doubts. It’s not about getting rid of fears, because it’s all part of our human nature. It’s actually about embracing our imperfection and being willing to make the best out of what you’ve got. So you start where you are. You work with what you’ve got and you are committed to show-up in your best self on the level of your current ability, knowing that even each and every incremental improvement is so worth it. Even if one day you manage to overcome this negative self-talk by letting go of that belief or reframing your thinking that is a win. And this is how you change your game. Step by step. Don’t set the bar too high for yourself. Just accept that it’s a process. It’s a journey. As long as you have faith in the process. And as long as you’re committed to doing the work each and every day, then you’re going to be successful.
