LEADING FROM ALIGNMENT

1. Start With Internal Alignment

Before we talk about leadership or influence, we start here. How you show up externally is shaped by how aligned you are internally.

When I feel most aligned at work, I am:

When I feel most drained or disconnected at work, it's often because:

One value I care deeply about, but don't always express at work is:

You don't need to announce this value or turn it into a personality trait. Integration usually happens quietly—through choices, boundaries, and tone.

In small, realistic ways, this value could show up more at work through:

One place I currently override this value to keep the peace, meet expectations, or avoid friction is:

Awareness isn't a demand for change—it's an invitation to choose differently when you're ready.

2. Managing vs. Leading

Most of us were taught how to manage tasks—not how to lead people.

When things feel stressful, I tend to:

What would shift if I focused less on managing outcomes and more on creating clarity, trust, and direction?

3. Leadership You Carry Forward (and Leave Behind)

Most of what we know about leadership wasn't learned in training sessions. It was learned by watching—by how people made us feel on teams, in meetings, and in moments that mattered.

Think of a manager or leader who had a positive impact on you.

What qualities did they consistently embody?

How did those qualities affect how you showed up or performed?

In small, realistic ways, I could embody more of these qualities in my current role by:

Now think of a manager or leader who had a negative impact on you or a team you were part of.

What qualities or behaviors felt de-motivating or draining?

How did those behaviors affect morale, trust, or performance?

One way I can be more aware of—or consciously avoid—these qualities in my current role is:

Leadership isn't just about what we add. It's also about what we choose not to pass on.

4. Managing Up (Without Losing Yourself)

Managing up isn't about politics or manipulation. It's about clarity, context, and self-respect in imperfect systems.

Check any that apply to your current situation:

Instead of asking "How do I manage my manager?", consider:

What clarity can I name instead of absorbing confusion?

What responsibility isn't actually mine to carry?

How can I advocate for myself calmly and clearly?

5. Leading Without Authority

You don't need a title to influence culture.

One place I already lead without realizing it is:

One way I could create more clarity or safety for others is:

6. One Quiet Leadership Experiment

Leadership doesn't require a reinvention. It requires practice.

This week, one aligned leadership choice I'm willing to try is:

To support this, I could:

7. Re-anchor

You don't need to become harder to be taken seriously. You don't need to perform leadership to embody it.

Alignment shapes how you show up—and how you show up shapes everything else.

You already have more influence than you think.

---