If You Don’t Define Your Leadership, Your Role Will

Many leaders assume their leadership identity is defined by their role, scope, or seniority. That’s a mistake—and one that quietly limits growth.

As responsibility increases, ambiguity does too. Expectations become less explicit. Feedback becomes less frequent. And without intention, leaders default to habits that once worked—but now create friction.

I often ask executives one simple question:
Who are you becoming as a leader?

Most can tell me what they’re responsible for. Fewer can articulate how they want to show up, especially when the pressure is on.

At senior levels, leadership isn’t just about outcomes—it’s about presence, judgment, and consistency. If you haven’t defined what matters to you now, you’ll spend your energy reacting instead of leading.

What got you here was competence.
What gets you there is clarity.

Defining your leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about alignment. When leaders are clear on who they are becoming, decisions get easier, boundaries get firmer, and teams experience stability—even in uncertainty.