Are you a good leader?

Notice when I say “good” it invoked a bunch of emotions.

“Compare to who?”

“Well, I am better than him but much worst than her.”

“I’m not a President or a General.”

“I’m just not that good at public speaking.”

Good causes us to squirm because we don’t actually know what good means. There is no measure for what a good leader is. We either see someone as a good leader or not.

Because there is no standard, no bar, therefore we can’t measure. And deep down, we know our flaws and imperfection. We amplify them to tell ourselves a story of insufficiency.

Yet, if I were to ask, “What makes a leader?”

We can describe someone as charismatic, a problem solver, someone who directs people, inspires others, can say something inspiring or profound…

Haven’t you done those things before? Of course, you have! At least once. If we did it once, we can do it again. We don’t see ourselves as good leaders because of the story we are telling ourselves.

No one is born a great leader. The doctor didn’t deliver you and say, “Wow, look at that, she’s a leader!” We learn to become good leaders by practicing. It’s a skill. Like most things, we can get better at it with opportunities and practice.

There is no such thing as a perfect leader. So go. Be the leader you are capable of being. Not the one you were born to be.