Earlier this year my coach Rich asked me a question:

“Are your clients people who are searching for passion and purpose?”

He was challenging my continuing to do talks and videos on the topic.

My immediate response was about to be a ‘Yes’, but since he was asking me what seemed like an obvious question, I paused and considered.

“Well…not all of them I guess…”

“How many?”

“Ummmm….hmmm…,” I scanned my mind through active and recent clients. My brow furrowed. “Geeze, I guess there is only just ONE really.”

We talked and a new awareness about who I actually coach unfolded. My clients call me their ‘executive coach’, their ‘leadership coach’, their ‘secret weapon’. They were all already on a mission and leaders of some sort, either of their own projects or a business.

It wasn’t obvious for me before because I was afraid to see it.

“Who am I to be a leadership coach? I’ve never run a company with 100’s of employees like my clients do.”

However, once I could see this thought, I could see it wasn’t true.

“You are a leader too, John” said Rich.

“I am not a leader. How am I a leader?”

“Thousands of people follow you, John. You are a thought leader.”

My coach was right. I AM a leader.

But how did I become one without ever trying to be? How did I become a leader without even meaning to?

All I have ever really done is two things:

1. Do what I love to do
2. Share that with the world.

Somehow being a leader happened as a result of this.

My insight:

Leadership is NOT something you do. Leadership is something that happens as a result of you being true and self-expressed.

When you do what you love and you share it with the world, people follow you.

People follow you because, like moths drawn to light, humans are drawn to truth and freedom.

More simply, leadership is not something you DO, it is something you BE.

What I can see now is that it is my BEING LEADERSHIP that has the people who show up as my clients also be leaders.

COACHING QUESTIONS:

• How are you holding back your own uniqueness?
• What could you start doing do that would have you ‘being leadership’ by being more who you really ARE?