Realizing Your Deliberate Path of Leadership
Welcome to the first issue of The Deliberate Path! My name is Kathy Devi McFadden, and I’m excited to engage in this important conversation about leadership with you.
What people expect from leaders has changed. Doing the job well is no longer enough of a differentiator. Current research, such as Deloitte’s Gen Zs and Millennials Survey, suggests a preference for leaders who make genuine connections, demonstrate behaviors that reflect the organization’s values, and show personal authenticity. Respondents, “believe that developing soft skills, such as empathy and leadership, is more important than ever.” Leaders who demonstrate these behaviors build stronger relationships, foster a mindset of discovery and innovation, and enhance employee resilience.
As McKinsey & Company notes in its article, New Leadership for a New Era of Thriving Organizations, “Moving toward deeper personal authenticity is challenging, but it is a necessary evolution for today’s leaders, one that will only become more important in the years ahead as automation elevates the value of work that is inherently human.”
Delivering on this new type of leadership requires a thoughtful and comprehensive approach that nurtures both professional and personal growth. It requires a deliberate shift.
Pillars for Your Deliberate Path of Leadership
Think of your leadership journey as grounded in four fundamental pillars: Purpose, Prosperity, Joy, and Freedom. When understood and applied as guideposts, they offer a framework for growth on both professional and personal levels. A dear friend of mine described it this way:
Let’s explore each of the pillars.
Purpose: Realizing Your Leadership Calling
Being an effective leader starts with understanding your purpose, aligning it with your intentions as a leader and, ultimately, with your actions. When you operate with a clear sense of purpose, decisions are more thoughtful, and your actions become more meaningful.
Prosperity: Attracting What’s Needed to Thrive
Prosperity is more than just achieving financial success. For leaders, it’s the ability to attract top talent and build high-performing teams. It means securing the resources and investments needed to drive your business forward. All of these are needed to ensure everyone can thrive through your leadership.
Joy: Embracing Fulfillment in Your Journey
Thriving professionally or personally are not mutually exclusive; they are interconnected. Finding joy and prioritizing your well-being sets a powerful example for your team. When you are energized, positive, and focused, you make better decisions, and performance naturally improves. Have fun.
Freedom: Living Authentically and in the Flow
Freedom is the liberating experience of trusting yourself. It's the confidence that comes from being grounded in your purpose and authenticity. We do this by discovering what truly works for us as individuals and not conforming to things that do not align with our values. The result is that we become more successful, and things fall into place more easily. This is freedom.
These four pillars—purpose, prosperity, joy, and freedom—don’t operate independently; their true strength lies in their synergy. Pursuing either wealth or pleasure without the guiding principles of purpose and freedom can often lead to a sense of meaninglessness and burnout.
By walking your Deliberate Path of leadership, you drive results and sustain your authentic self. You, and those you lead, thrive professionally and personally.
In future issues, we’ll dive deeper into each of these pillars, providing practical strategies and insights, along with real-life examples from leaders I’ve worked with, to help you lead in today’s complex world.
Stay tuned!
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