What is your authentic leadership style?
Like any phrase that you'd find online accompanied by a picture of someone sipping champagne by the Eiffel Tower or some such bullsh*t, I have a bit of an allergic reaction to the words ‘authentic leadership’.
And yet here we are.
So let me define what I mean by ‘authentic leadership’, and offer a framework to consider what it might mean for YOU.
Authentic leadership is having the courage to do things in a way that is uniquely right for you and your sense of purpose, even when it feels exposing or stands out from what others are doing.
And the concepts of ‘courage’, ‘uniqueness’, ‘purpose’ and ‘standing out’ are all synonymous with the astrological archetype of Leo, the ruler of tonight’s full moon.
So here are three reflection questions to help you connect today with your own authentic leadership, whether that’s in the context of your professional life or something broader.
Where am I ‘fitting in’ rather than ‘standing out’?
How can I shine brighter and do things my own way?
What do I need to know about ‘my purpose’ right now?
If you have a deck of tarot or oracle cards, you can pull a card for each question (as I have done below), or you can just grab a notebook and write down your thoughts and feelings for each one:
My personal reflections:
1/ Seven of Swords: sneaking around and acting in an underhand manner; distracting myself from personal growth by kidding myself in some way. I think I know what this is about…I’m not putting much discipline and effort into my work right now, and I’m telling myself that this is ‘cool’ whereas actually I think I’m just avoiding stepping up as a guide.
2/ Justice: Be unequivocal about right and wrong. Take a stand for fairness and equality, and take myself and my work seriously. Be clear eyed about what I am signing up for.
3/ Three of Wands: I’m at a point with my work where I don’t know what ‘ships will come in’. In Jessica Dore's words, “this [card] is a path towards something that is not yet cohesive, where you must do your own transcribing and arranging, and where, as Joseph Campbell said, “you’ve got to work out your life for yourself”.
I'd love to hear your own reflections on any of these Leo full moon questions :)- you can DM me on Instagram or LinkedIn, or comment below.