3 Essential Pillars to Unlock Your Leadership Potential
Leadership isn’t just about managing others — it’s about knowing yourself, inspiring others, and creating real impact. And now, leadership is more important than ever.
Why does it matter?
According to Gallup (2025), global employee engagement dropped from 23% to 21%, with manager engagement falling from 30% to 27%, resulting in an estimated $438 billion in lost productivity.
What role does a manager play?
Engaged employees are more productive, and managers are the biggest factor in engagement.
How do we create great leaders?
Great leadership can be broken down into three key components: knowing yourself, connecting with others, and leading with influence. Many leaders rush to exert influence, but without self-awareness and strong relationships, their leadership lacks lasting impact.
Key Pillars of Leading with Impact
#1 Lead from Within
True leadership starts from within. Before you can effectively inspire or guide others, you must first be willing to lead yourself. This means doing the inner work—cultivating self-awareness, aligning your actions with your values, and embracing personal growth.
Why it matters:
People follow authenticity, not titles. Leaders who invest in self-awareness create ripple effects of trust, stability, and inspiration across their teams.
Tips for Leading from Within:
Reflect often: Journal about what’s working, your challenges, and how you're showing up as a leader.
Embrace a growth mindset: Treat mistakes and feedback as opportunities for growth.
📘 Tool to Try: Download the Growth Mindset Workbook to support your leadership journey.
#2 Connect Before You Direct
One of the most overlooked—and essential—leadership skills is the ability to truly connect. Before you can effectively influence others, they need to know that you value them as humans—not just as employees or task-doers. Leadership is less about telling people what to do and more about creating the kind of environment where people want to contribute their best.
Why it matters:
Connection leads to collaboration, loyalty, and initiative. Leaders who connect with empathy turn transactions into relationships and teams into communities.
Tips to Connect Before You Direct:
Reacting vs. Responding: When something unexpected happens—a mistake, a tense conversation, or a challenge—pause before reacting. Reacting is emotional and automatic; responding is intentional and thoughtful.
Sympathy vs. Empathy: Empathy is about connecting and experiencing someone else's emotions, while sympathy is about feeling sorry for them from a distance. To learn more, watch this: Sympathy vs. Empathy by Brene Brown
📘 Tool to Try: Use the The Simple Communication Playbook as a tool with your team to understand team members’ preferences and communicate effectively.
#3 Inspiring Through Influence
Influence goes beyond authority—it’s about inspiring others to follow your vision and contribute to a shared purpose. True leaders empower others to take initiative and elevate their performance.
Why it matters:
Leaders who lead with influence don’t just get tasks done; they inspire long-term commitment, loyalty, and innovation.
Tips to Inspire Through Influence:
The "Because" Principle: People follow when they understand the why. Articulate why something matters.
Lead by Example: Your actions speak louder than words. Model the behavior you want to see in others.
📘 Tool to Try: The GROW Model – The GROW Model is a coaching framework that helps individuals set clear goals, overcome obstacles, and take action toward personal and professional growth. Here's a quick breakdown:
G – Goal Define the desired outcome clearly. What is the desired outcome?
R – Reality Assess the current situation. What is the current reality?
O – Options Explore potential solutions and strategies. What actions can move you forward?
W – Way Forward Decide on specific actions to take. What is the first step to move forward?
✨ Ready to unlock your leadership potential? Whether you're looking to enhance your leadership skills, build stronger teams, or create lasting impact in your organization, we can help you get there.
Schedule a free Discovery Call today and learn how our leadership development training can empower you to lead with purpose.
Source: Gallup. (2025). State of the Global Workplace 2025 Report. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
Stephanie Bidle
Stephanie is the founder of the The Simplicity Secret, a leadership development, speaking, and coaching business. Passionate about personal development, organization, and life optimization, she thrives on helping individuals unlock their potential and achieve their dreams. During her downtime, she can often be found on the porch, enjoying a cup of tea and reading a book.
