Progressing up the organisational food chain usually requires you to move into a leadership position where you manage people.
The crunch comes when those technical skills that were initially critical become less important than leadership skills, and yet the required leadership skills don’t materialise.
It’s the classic case of the technical expert who struggles as a leader because their leadership development has not evolved and their emotional intelligence at work is low.
You might have faced this challenge at some stage in your career (I know I initially did when I started managing teams) or have worked for a technical expert who isn’t a great leader.
Just having a leadership title doesn’t make someone a leader.
Leaders can falter not because they lack technical know-how but because they haven’t fully understood or embraced their own leadership identity.
Developing your leadership identity requires both internal and external processes.
What is leadership identity?
Leadership identity, as conceptualised by Professors Daniel DeRue and Sue Ashford in their seminal work “Who will lead and who will follow? A social process of leadership identity construction in organisations, is a dynamic process of claiming and granting leadership.
They propose that leadership is not simply a position or set of behaviours; it is a co-constructed relationship shaped by the mutual recognition between a leader and their followers (i.e. their team members). When leaders claim their identity and followers grant it, a shared understanding emerges, reinforcing the leader’s legitimacy.
They write, “Through this claiming-granting process, individuals internalise an identity as leader or follower, and those identities become relationally recognised through reciprocal role adoption and collectively endorsed within the organisational context.”
What’s crucial, therefore, is how leaders see themselves and how others perceive them. This dual process involves internal self-perception and external validation. A leader must first see themselves as capable and deserving of leadership roles. Concurrently, they must cultivate trust, respect, and recognition from those they lead.
Without alignment between these two dimensions, leaders risk creating confusion, undermining their credibility and legitimacy, or alienating their teams.
A strong leadership identity is a cornerstone of authentic and influential leadership.
However, the construction of your leadership identity is not static. It evolves throughout your leadership career and is based on relationships, critical experiences, and internalised meaning-making.
Why does it matter?
I am sharing this story with permission because it helpfully explains why this concept matters.
One of my clients had been promoted to a more senior leadership position. However, when they first stepped into the elevated leadership role, they felt overwhelmed by the responsibility and the challenge of managing people who had once been peers. They also struggled to connect with the team and gain their trust.
As our executive coaching work began, it became clear there was a disconnect between how they saw themselves as a leader. Through work where they reflected on their values, strengths, and leadership style, they started to shift how they claimed their role as a leader. In this way, by aligning their actions with a clearer sense of their own leadership identity, they improved team performance and gained the confidence to navigate challenges with authenticity and purpose.
Having a well-defined leadership identity helps on several fronts.
Firstly, it can help to guide your decision-making. Leadership often involves making high-stakes decisions under uncertain conditions. A clear sense of identity anchors you, allowing you to act consistently with your values and long-term vision. This consistency builds trust and credibility within your team.
Secondly, in an uncertain and ambiguous world, you must navigate change with agility. Having a secure leadership identity provides a foundation for flexibility so you can better adapt your approach without stepping away from your values or losing sight of who you are.
Lastly, organisations look to their leaders for direction and purpose. A well-articulated leadership identity helps align teams around a shared mission, fostering cohesion and driving collective performance.
Identifying Your Leadership Identity
So, where do you start?
Understanding your leadership identity starts with introspection and feedback.
Firstly, self-reflect. Regularly reflect on your values, strengths, and aspirations. For example, consider these critical questions: What drives you as a leader? What’s your leadership legacy and contribution? What are your core values and purpose?
Next, you’ll want to look for feedback from others. External perspectives are invaluable in shaping a realistic understanding of your leadership identity. Tools like 360-degree feedback or informal conversations with peers and team members can uncover blind spots and reinforce strengths.
You also want to consider the alignment with your role and operating context. As mentioned earlier, your leadership identity is not static. It must evolve to align with the demands of different roles and organisational cultures. It helps to consider how your identity fits your current context and what adjustments are necessary.
Lastly, embark on a practice of trying and testing new ways of leading and then reflecting on outcomes. Your leadership identity emerges through practice. By consciously claiming leadership roles and observing others’ responses, you can refine how you show up each day as a leader with your team and colleagues.
Positioning yourself as a leader
Remember, you can’t just claim your leadership identity. It must be granted to you as well.
As Dr Lisa Marchiondo and colleagues discuss in their paper on the relational nature of leadership identity construction your identity is co-constructed through relational processes.
In this way, your leadership identity is a negotiated process where you assert and claim your leadership while those around you acknowledge or grant it (or don’t). This dynamic significantly influences how your leadership is perceived within your team and organisation.
Consequently, to claim your leadership position, you must undertake deliberate actions to reinforce and expand your leadership capacity.
While there are a range of focal points, the following are some crucial ones.
- Embrace Authenticity – Authenticity is the bedrock of a compelling leadership identity. Leaders who embrace their true selves—rather than conforming to stereotypes or external expectations—build deeper connections with their teams. This authenticity fosters trust and inspires followership.
- Invest in Emotional Intelligence – Emotional intelligence at work is critical for understanding both self and others. Leaders with high EQ can navigate interpersonal dynamics effectively, ensuring that their claims to leadership resonate with those they lead. Practices like mindfulness and empathy-building exercises will help elevate your EQ.
- Embark on a Continuous Learning Adventure – The best leaders are perpetual learners. By staying curious and open to new ideas, leaders can adapt their identity to meet evolving challenges. This might include formal education, mentorship, exposure to diverse perspectives and executive coaching. Take the time to build your personal learning plan.
- Craft and Communicate Clear Mission, Vision and Values – A strong leadership identity is rooted in a clear purpose and mission, compelling vision and lived values. You want to know each of these and how they align with your role and your team’s needs.
- Foster Reciprocal Relationships – Leadership identity thrives in a relational context. You will want to actively seek feedback, acknowledge contributions, and build trust with your team and colleagues. Involving others in the co-construction of your identity strengthens your legitimacy.
What can get in the way?
Of course, doing all of this is not without challenges.
Who said being a leader was easy? It isn’t. There are a few elements to be alert to.
Firstly, be cautious about placing too much emphasis on external validation. When you overly rely on others’ approval, you risk losing your authenticity and can become a ‘people pleaser’. You want to balance internal conviction with external feedback.
Secondly, your identity will and must evolve, so be wary of having a self-concept that is too rigid. Leaders who cling too rigidly to past definitions of themselves may struggle to adapt to new roles or environments. Knowing how to redefine your leadership through change is a skill worth developing deliberately. As always, this is where cultivating a growth mindset can help.
Thirdly, as mentioned earlier, leadership identity cannot exist in isolation. Ignoring the relational aspect of leadership risks alienating your team members. You must actively engage with your team to build trust and shared purpose.
Of course, organisational support plays a role here too. By fostering environments that encourage self-reflection, feedback, and development, organisations can help leaders thrive. This includes providing development opportunities, creating a safe space for leaders to experiment and learn, and acknowledging and celebrating leadership progress.
Leadership identity is not just an abstract concept; it’s a tangible driver for progress, and successfully carving out your leadership identity requires intentionality, adaptability, and a commitment to authenticity.
So, the key question for today is: Do you know what your leadership identity is, and what steps do you need to take to craft and nurture it?