Everyone sees greatness in you, but you don’t see it yourself. You don’t feel like a “traditional” leader, perhaps because you tend to be quiet, shy, or introverted. Or maybe you just don’t believe you have the skills to be good enough. But you feel the fear and lead anyway.

You make it comfortable for others to come to you with problems, and you’re willing to put in the work to get the job done. There’s no task too small for you, and your willingness to step in and take responsibility is a model for others to follow.

At Your Best

You’re the embodiment of integrity – you always do what you say you will do, and everyone knows they can count on you. You’re a fierce friend and are always checking in with a word of encouragement or support. You listen more than you speak, and you easily empathize with others. You keep an open mind so you can learn from others’ perspectives and experiences, and you use these gems of knowledge to grow and develop yourself.

At Your Stressed

Because you sometimes have trouble delegating work, you tend to take on too many responsibilities and can get overwhelmed when your to-do list keeps getting longer. When you can’t check off as many boxes as you’d like, you may internalize this as a mistake or failure. Internalizing failures can lead to feelings of Impostor Syndrome – that one day, someone will realize you’re actually not a good leader and see you for the fraud you really are. Impostor Syndrome kicks off your fear cycle, so when you feel like you’re not good enough, you’re less likely to take on new opportunities or projects for fear of rejection and failure.

How Others See You

As a Leader: Your team knows that they can come to you with a problem and that you’ll work it through together. People on your team feel respected, heard, and cared for. They know you’re in their corner and will always do what’s best for the team – even if it’s a hard decision. Some people on your team feel that they don’t have enough to do in their daily work and would be willing to take things off your plate. They want to grow and develop, and they need you to help them do so.

As a Peer: Everyone loves the chance to work with you on a project, because they know you’ll get your portion of the work done with high quality and ahead of schedule. You’re well-respected in your organization, and colleagues often come to you when they have complex problems and need an outsider’s perspective. They trust you because you listen to them without judgement and always have a practical solution to suggest. Some peers feel that you are difficult to get to know because you don’t tend to socialize much at work.

As a Direct Report: Your leaders know they can trust you with the operations of your department, or with any assignment they give you. They tend to assign things to you because they know it will get done, and you will take full ownership of the project. Although, they do realize that you tend to take on many large projects at once and wonder how you balance them. They feel that you could speak up more in meetings, especially when decisions concern your team.

A few more things…

What Gets You Out of Bed in the Morning: Helping a team member learn a new skill or tool, and giving your best every single day to help your company succeed.

What Keeps You Up at Night: Feeling overwhelmed and stressed by the number of projects and responsibilities you have at work. Feeling like you’ll never be good enough.

Working with Other Types: To balance your need for responsibility with learning to delegate to your team, work with someone like The Coach, who will help you let go of some control and teach you how to best develop your team. You can help someone like The General learn to listen more to their teams and include everyone’s perspective in decision-making.

How to Shine: Lean on your strengths of responsibility and empathy. Learn to delegate tasks your team can handle without you. Make more space for the critical projects. Listen for ways you can bring even more value to your organization. Take time to read, reflect, and work on personal development.

Now that you know your Firepower Leadership Style, how can you use this knowledge to create change within your organization?

>> Action 1: Make personal development a habit. Impostor Syndrome is no joke - and it’s not your fault. You need to unlearn harmful thought patterns by reframing negative or self-defeating thoughts, cultivating deeper self-love, and showing genuine appreciation for what you already have - your strengths, experience, and knowledge. Consistent, intentional practices like journaling, meditation, and connecting to your intuition can help take you from fear of the unknown to faith in yourself.

>> Action 2: Find your crew. When you’re working to improve yourself or your organization, it’s important to surround yourself with people that love and support you, no matter what. Especially if you’re the “only” one of you in your organization. Find an accountability partner who shares a similar personal or professional goal, and check in with them every day. You can also join a Meetup group in your area or virtual networking group where you can build a strong network. If you want to take this work to your organization, start an affinity group or women’s leadership group at work. There’s so much power in peer support, because together, we rise.

>> Action 3: Ignite your spark. Start from where you’re at. You have so much knowledge, experience, and inner wisdom that you can tap into immediately. You don’t have to wait until you get another certification or until you’ve worked a certain number of years before you can make the changes you want to see. You are a leader no matter where you’re sitting today. You have the power to use your leadership style to make the workplace a better place for women. And we need more women like you at the top, where the decisions are made. Consider what you can do, and start small! You can start by highlighting the work of a female coworker or asking for your organization to reimburse leadership coaching. Your spark can set the world on fire, and all it takes is that first step.

Take action now:

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