Unpacking Leadership: How Childhood, Self-doubt, and Envy Might Influence Your Work
Let’s face it: the corporate world is a complex place, filled with meetings, deadlines, emails, and an endless supply of coffee. But beneath the spreadsheets and PowerPoints, there’s something even more profound at play: our emotions, our histories, and (brace yourself) our childhoods. Yes, your leadership style—whether you’re a CEO, a team leader, or the mastermind of your department’s snack table—is heavily influenced by things that happened long before you put on that business suit.
As an executive and team coach, I regularly help leaders make sense of the personal dynamics that influence their professional lives. One of my favourite tools in this work is a deck of cards from The School of Life. These aren’t your typical motivational cards; they’re filled with insightful, sometimes confronting, questions that help you shine a light on the sides of you that might have been forgotten, but can give you valuable insights.
Let’s take a look at three of these questions and see how they might just reveal a thing or two about your leadership style (with a touch of humour, of course). And, towards the end, I’ll offer three practical tips to help you become more aware of how your family history and upbringing might impact your leadership. So, buckle up; we’re about to go deep—but we’ll have some fun along the way.
