Combing through my LinkedIn feed for the day, I stumbled across a headline which grabbed my attention. The 5 Qualities of Successful Young Leaders began as many how-to articles do that target the up and comer’s. I nearly closed the window to turn my attention to another piece when I read the fourth and fifth pieces of advice: Personal Identity and Self-Awareness.
As I’ve been emphasizing these attributes in my own life lately, I decided to read on.
“Your role should not define you,” writes Alex Malley, CEO of finance services at CPA Australia, syndicated columnist and host of a TV show. “The most effective leaders are not defined by their own success or the title they hold. You will see on many occasions a person’s life unravel when they lose their leadership role. This is often because they have unwittingly allowed their title to be their identity and confidence.”
What Malley points out is that we tend to allow our professional roles (and defeats) define us. We tell ourselves tidy stories about our successes, but the slightest disruption in the stories we tell ourselves can wreak havoc on us professionally, personally, emotionally, and physically.
That’s not to say that it isn’t essential for each of us to have a clear purpose and feel adequate in the steps we take to reach our goals. We ought to recognize when we do things right; we need to feel appreciated and acknowledge the work we have done. But even if we achieve a role which was once a mere dream, we must remember that there must be something more. Career coach Bud Bilanich writes about the importance of BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), “The mightier your purpose the more likely you are to succeed.”
It’s when we become so intertwined with our current state of being at work- or in life- that hubris takes over in a way that even the Great Bard himself couldn’t conjure up.
If hubris offers us a cautionary tale of what to watch out for in our professional lives, then sophrosyne reminds us of what we can do to counter it. Referencing the goddess who escaped Pandora’s Box thanks to her self-moderation and restraint, the ancient Greeks heralded the ideal of sophrosyne as a state of healthy mental balance brought about by moderation and self-control.
A lofty goal that we can only attempt to achieve, a state of sophrosyne is more often than not neglected entirely by our modern society. There’s not a thing wrong with shooting for the stars and attaining them through hard work and will power, but when times get tough- as they are sure to do many times throughout our lives- we must have the poise and recognition that we are worth more than the job titles (or cars or houses or watches or whatever) that we have attained.
I think a state of sophrosyne is an important word to pay homage to in our daily lives- professionally as well as personally. To recognize that no one aspect of our lives singularly defines us. For young leaders, old leaders, those who aren’t yet leading and those who never will, we are all simply the sum of our parts at any given point in time- adjusting to life’s ebbs and flows for a clearer view of ourselves and what we can ultimately offer.
bonnie boglioli randall 