Part of my leadership development is reading, watching TED talks, and listening to music.
Growing up, I enjoyed all kinds of music. It was a source of inspiration and encouragement and a learning medium. Initially, music was a companion to me. I lost myself in the lyrics, music, and melody. It had much meaning to me when I was younger.
As I grew past my teens and into my twenties, music still was a source for those things mentioned above, but for a different purpose. Well past my twenties, music still plays the same role in my life but with more maturity. There is one song in particular I listened to recently—Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten." If you haven't heard the lyrics, listen to YouTube or Spotify.
"UnWritten" takes you through a deeply personal journey where your life is "unwritten." You have the power to write your own story. No one can do it for you. It speaks to our dreams and the power of words to usher in your journey. Listening to the lyrics certainly applies to my leadership journey. Below are three takes away from the song that leaders can use:
Take others with you—A leadership journey doesn't have to be lonely. Others will share your vision, passion, and what you are trying to accomplish. Take them along on your journey. Not only will you enrich them while you progress in your journey, but they can also be a source of support and add value to your journey and destination.
Learn in your journey – no journey is devoid of a lesson or two – or more – as you charter your course. Learn from the mistakes that you will make. Because making a mistake is not a matter of "if" but of "when." You'll learn how to do things better, more efficiently, and more effectively. You will grow in maturity, understanding of others, and how the world around you works. So keep your eyes open as you journey to take advantage of the lessons you will surely learn.
Have an impact – on your journey, you will have stops. Those stops are not your final destination. Those are rest stops where you will have the opportunity to help others while still maintaining focus on your goal. Who knows, maybe even some of the people you will help along the way will be those you will take on your leadership journey. So, impact the people or situations you will encounter along the way. They will make you a better leader, make the trip more enjoyable, and make the reward more fulfilling.
What remains to be written in your leadership journey? What else can you learn as you travel the road of leadership?
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