Summary
Being a leader is a privilege that comes with enormous responsibility and very little resources so starting with your own self is critical to any shape and form of success.
Business leaders have to look out for the ways to become better in an ever-changing socio-economic, political and most urgent, ecological climate – navigating complex challenges that keep emerging like those landscapes and characters we encounter in a video game. But is it possible for a leader to resolve complex problems, be bombarded with challenging narratives, intricate trajectories and the challenges that come with them without having a personal agency? Not sure.
So, what does it really mean to be a good leader who has a personal agency and what is it like to have a personal agency in order to lead?
This goes back to fundamental values one chooses to believe in; identity and self-esteem. Having personal agency means to have the knowledge and feeling that you have got what it takes. Although it starts with an individual to later influence collectives, your ability to express through your thoughts and actions is really your silent power that goes a long way. Your thoughts shaping up your teams’ performances, your team performances impacting your organisation’s success; all starting with you.
You can enhance your personal agency by checking in with your self and having an internal dialogue on regular basis. Why I am taking this decision, what’s the basis for it? Asking the right questions and taking responsibility for your actions is critical to leverage the inner power you have.
Now if you have an organisation where employees have a higher personal agency, they will be self-driven, assertive and high performers. This protects time and resources of everyone from having to tell others what to do; whether to bring higher number of sales or be more innovative. Having a higher personal agency can help lifting the entire weight of leading a taskforce or a project, but it has to come hand in hand with good communication and self-reliance. Good communication is interdependent on having a personal agency and self-reliance, says, Debra Roberts, an Interpersonal communication expert and author.
Being a leader is a privilege that comes with enormous responsibility and very little resources so starting with your own self is critical to any shape and form of success.
To find out how to lead small and medium sized organisations with a purpose and strategy, see our 12 week Help to Grow Management Programme at Kingston University: Help to Grow: Management Course | Kingston University