If I had a nickel for every time someone described themselves to me as an ENTJ, a fiery Red, a ‘high D’ or some other personality test label, I’d be writing this leadership truth from a beach in the Caribbean.
Being self-aware about your traits doesn’t make you an effective leader. Being self-aware about your traits and then doing something to manage the downside of said traits is what we should all be aiming for here. Yet, many people embrace what they perceive as the positives of their approach and minimize the dark side by brushing it off with a shrug and an ‘oh well, that’s just the way I am.’
Your trait is NOT your fate. Once the self-awareness genie is out of the bottle, when you demonstrate the worst part of your personality or approach you are CHOOSING to do so. Sure, changing a behaviour isn’t easy. It takes perseverance and commitment to change but imagine how awesome you’ll be when you bring more options into your approach to leading? You’ll be unstoppable!
