Podcast Episode 85 Transcript

Hey, welcome back for another episode of Equipped for Purpose, today we are looking at leader identity. This is the first section underneath the heading of discovering distinctiveness.

In episode eighty-three, we broke down what discovering distinctiveness is, and where we are going with the leadership portion of this podcast over the coming year. So if you missed that you can go back and check that out.

In this episode we are going to hone in on: 1) Who/What defines you (defining your source), 2) How do you define your leadership identity?, and 3)How does your leadership identity shape your actions? Those are the three focus areas we will be getting into as we look at understanding and defining leader identity.

Understanding leader identity is significant because it serves as the foundation for effective, consistent, and authentic leadership. Here are some key reasons why this is crucial:

1. Provides Clarity and Direction
   • A well-defined leader identity gives clarity about who you are and what you stand for as a leader.
   • It acts as a compass, guiding decisions, actions, and strategies, especially in complex or high-pressure situations.
   • Leaders with a strong sense of identity are less likely to be swayed by external opinions or trends.
2. Builds Credibility and Trust
   • Authenticity is a hallmark of great leadership. When leaders understand their identity and act in alignment with it, they inspire trust and respect from their teams.
   • Consistency in values and actions makes leaders reliable and trustworthy, fostering stronger relationships.
3. Empowers Purposeful Leadership
   • Leadership isn’t just about tasks; it’s about influence. A leader’s identity shapes their purpose and the impact they aim to have.
   • For disciples and disciple-makers, understanding identity in Christ adds a layer of purpose rooted in eternal significance, aligning their leadership with God’s mission.
4. Enables Resilience in Challenges
   • A strong leader identity helps leaders stay grounded during adversity. It reminds them of their values and vision, providing strength and resilience.
   • Leaders who know who they are can navigate criticism, failure, and uncertainty without losing their sense of purpose.
5. Guides Interpersonal Interactions
   • Leader identity influences how leaders communicate, resolve conflicts, and foster collaboration. Knowing who you are allows you to lead others with empathy, integrity, and intentionality.
   • It also helps leaders model behaviors and values they want to instill in their teams.
6. Unleashes Creativity and Innovation
   • Leaders who embrace their distinctiveness are more willing to take risks and innovate because they aren’t trying to fit into someone else’s mold.
   • They bring a unique perspective that can inspire teams to think outside the box and tackle challenges in creative ways.

I find it fascinating that leaders don’t take the time to understand themselves and what it is that they bring to the table. Knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are, in the true and honest sense, is a blessing that allows you to show up in fullness, and to empower others to bring their full potential to bear.

But, that means you’ll have to leave your ego and pride out of the equation. If you can’t do that there is more work to be done in understanding yourself. I can’t stress this enough, ego and pride have to be ejected when you are evaluating yourself to understand your leader identity, and ultimately your strengths and weaknesses. We have to get as close to an objective evaluation as possible, and be able to understand identity.

Here’s the tricky part, there is a tendency to be overly critical. I spent 20 years in the Army, and during that time I had the privilege of being what is called an observer/coach/trainer, or OCT. In that capacity, I facilitated a large number of after-action reviews. The trend I noticed was the focus on what was done poorly and held room for improvement. This was to the total disregard for what was done well and the lessons that could be learned.

In almost all of those situations where the emphasis was on poor decisions, there was no understanding or acknowledgment that the leader had made many missteps leading up to the event being evaluated and that if they had better understood themselves and their identity as a leader some mistakes could have been avoided.

The job of an OCT, or any leader, isn’t just to ensure that people are improving at their jobs, although that is a facet of the role, it is also to make them better leaders for the future.

Hindrances to Leader Identity

There are many things that can be a hindrance to you in understanding your leader identity, and then leading from the fullness of who God has made you to be. There are two in particular that I want to highlight, and these are both ones that I have observed in my years as a leader and dealt with personally.

Perfectionism

The first is perfectionism. This is the tendency where one is attempting to attain some sense of perfection before taking action. There is one glaring problem here, the definition of what makes something perfect before taking action is always shifting.

If you have ever experienced this you’ll understand this immediately. What is happening is that the mind of perfectionists will always recognize ways to improve something, and it is because of that recognition they will not take action. They are stuck in the cycle of improving, recognizing future improvements, and repeating. There is never any forward momentum being gained.

This is a big hindrance to leader identity because it keeps you stuck in that cycle and you are not actually leading. You end up chasing self-improvement instead of showing up in fullness.

I looked up a definition of perfectionism online, and here is what it said:

Perfectionism is a mindset characterized by striving for flawlessness and setting excessively high standards for oneself or others. It often involves critical self-evaluation and a fear of failure or making mistakes.

That sums up the cycle I described, and you can see how this will hold you back.

Imposter Syndrome

The second hindrance I want to highlight is imposter syndrome. Again, I looked up a definition online and here it is:

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern in which individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a “fraud,” despite evidence of their competence and success. People experiencing imposter syndrome often attribute their achievements to luck, external factors, or deception, rather than their own skills and efforts.

This is one I have seen and personally dealt with the most. Always believing that you aren’t good enough to be in the position you are in is going to keep you in hiding, and therefore not leading. This mindset or thought pattern will paralyze you from showing up in the fullness of who God has created you to be.

Yes, many other hindrances can and will expose themselves to prevent you from uncovering and living fully in your leader identity, such as ego and pride. However, I don’t want to spend any more of our time focusing on those. Just expect them to pop up, and when they do you will be able to recognize them quickly, interrogate their motives, and then take appropriate action.

Define Your Source

As a leader, it is of the utmost significance that we know who or what is defining us. Like I have said previously in discussing values in action, we can say one thing, it is our actions that will reveal the reality of what we value. This is the same when it comes to defining identity, how you live that out will reveal the source of your accepted identity definition.

I hope that makes sense because if you can evaluate this in somewhat of an objective manner it will be illuminating of your past actions and decisions. Let’s look at some of the sources.

Sources of a leader’s identity

Faith

The first is faith. As someone who is focused on discipleship unto Jesus Christ, and leadership as a facet of discipleship, this is the first place I will go to uncover identity. Or rather, it should be the first place that I go.

Is it though? Not always, and we are going to discuss some of the other sources here in a minute. But, this is the first and best place to go to understand who it is God has called us to be, and what He is saying about you now.

Your faith is going to be the number one identifier of who you are as a leader. And you can see this on display every day in the actions that people choose to take, or not take. Everyone places their faith in something or someone. Who or what that is is different from person to person, and if you want an example of this just get on social media and it becomes obvious.

Even if a person claims there is no Creator or higher power, they still place faith in things and people for medical care, fixing a plumbing issue, or a car issue.

The point is, that faith is placed somewhere. Where is yours placed? This is the number one source of where you will find the definition of your leader identity.

Personal Values (Internal Convictions)

The second source is personal values. This is the set of values that you hold for yourself. Just as a company or organization displays a set of values that they hold true to, we all have personal values.

Think about a time you were faced with a situation that made you uncomfortable to participate in. That uncomfortable feeling was caused because the event violated one of your values.

Personal values are something that everyone has, just like faith, and it is likely that a good majority of us will share similar values. The difference is the point at which our sense of one value or another is violated. For some that is sooner than others.

In highlighting this source of definition I am not attempting to have you adopt a new set of personal values, expunge any current values you have, or change your sense of when your values are violated. I simply want you to recognize what they are, and where the violation trigger is.

As disciples of Jesus, and as disciple-makers, once we understand our values we can begin to dialogue with the Holy Spirit to find alignment with who God says we are; to find alignment with His definition.

External Influences

The third source of identity is from external influences. These are around you all of the time and are continually attempting to exert some form of control over your identity. But, when you know who you are, these influences are understood for what they are and what they are motivated to do.

Before I even list any external influences, I want to emphasize that I am not saying that these are all nefarious in their motivations. What I am saying is that you need to evaluate each influence that is seeking to define you. Understand the motivation and goal of the influence, determine what is intended, and then take appropriate action.

The external influences can be family, friends, mentors, culture, or even societal norms. The point of discussing these is to make sure it is known in your mind that your leader identity can be influenced by actors without you being aware. It is a significant thing to recognize these influences for what they are, feedback.

Quickly I will say that when your leader identity is attempting to be redefined you should take that as feedback. Is there something that needs to change? Does this influence just simply not agree with my outlook and want me to agree with them? Just simple questions need to be asked in a feedback evaluation session with the Holy Spirit, again, seeking alignment.

Significance of Alignment

I’ve mentioned alignment several times now, and I want to take a minute to discuss the significance of alignment. What am I talking about when I use the word alignment? I am talking about our higher purpose and or core principles.

We need to understand that we have a higher purpose as disciples and disciple-makers, and we need to ensure that we are aligned with that purpose as leaders. Knowing your identity as a leader, as a disciple, and as a disciple maker, is something that comes from alignment with who it is that God calls you to be, who it is that he says that you are.

In addition to that, there are some core principles that you have, those values that you hold, or the internal convictions that you have. Those things also help align you with your identity because the tension that you feel when your values or internal convictions are violated, that’s something that God has instilled into you. Over time, we’ve allowed external influences to shape where those triggers are to say, ‘Hey, this personal value of mine has been violated. Something is out of whack here, or something is out of alignment.’ Those core values that you hold are a significant part of alignment with your leader identity.

Understanding who you are, and being in alignment with your higher purpose and values is a significant matter that we all need to understand and regularly evaluate.

How you get there

How do you get there? How do you get to understanding your leader identity and who it is that God says that you are?

Well, we can look at his purpose. We just talked about alignment, and with this, you are seeing an example of the significance of aligning with your higher purpose. The first place that we look for his purpose is in scripture. If we look at Matthew 28:18-20, we can see the Great Commission.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18–20.

That’s part of God’s purpose for us. Jesus said it himself, to make disciples of the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, the Holy Spirit, and teach them what Jesus taught. That’s disciple-making.

As disciples, that’s what we’re involved in. We’re listening to somebody else who is teaching what Jesus taught. And now we are going out and doing the same thing.

And when we talk about making disciples of the nations, one thing that we need to understand is that isn’t always missionary work going to another country. I don’t want you to have the wrong impression that because you aren’t “out on the mission field” you are not fulfilling the Great Commission. That is a myth that needs dispelling.

You are fulfilling the Great Commission any time you are out sharing the gospel, sharing your faith, and making disciples. That’s making disciples of the nations. You don’t know how your message of the gospel is going to affect the one who hears it. And you don’t know where they are going to then in turn go out and share the gospel. When you are engaged in disciple-making everywhere you go the growth of those who have placed believing loyalty in Jesus grows exponentially.

What you do in sharing the gospel has that effect. It can significantly increase and go out even if you’re just sharing the gospel and teaching what Jesus taught with the group of people you know or interact with locally. You don’t know where that’s going to take them. So God’s purpose is a big place for you to start when you start to think about, how to get there.

The second that we’ve already kind of talked about and hinted at is scripture. Scripture is another place to find how you get there, how you get to identity because you can find purpose there. You can find who it is that God says you are as a person. What are some of the things that scripture says about you?

1. You know you’re adopted.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…

Ephesians 2:19

1. You are chosen.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…

Colossians 3:12

1. You are called.

I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…

Ephesians 4:1

1. You are a follower.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Luke 9:23

Scripture speaks all of those things about us. It is an incredible thing in my mind that we can find such things in a letter from around two thousand years ago. This tells me there is far more there for us to discover than will be found when we only engage with it once a week, or on the surface level of reading only without thought and contemplation.

That thought leads me the the third point I want to discuss when answering, how do we get there? That’s prayer. I talked about this in episode eighty-three, but the idea needs to be repeated here.

Prayer can not be something that is done without intentionality. Even if the prayer is to build friendship and relationship with our Creator there is still a level of intentionality. You wouldn’t while having a conversation with a friend allow yourself to be scrolling on your phone and not giving that person your full attention, would you? Maybe you would, I don’t know.

The point is, we don’t want to call prayer a habit, or something done through muscle memory. The habit is to run to prayer and when there, intentionality takes over. There is an engaged you talking to God, not a detached body running on autopilot.

Prayer is another source of how you get to leader identity. Combine that with God’s higher purpose and purpose for you, along with scripture, and you will start to see the emergence of the picture of you in fullness.

Contrasting Sources

Now we need to look at contrasting sources. There is a contrast between external and internal sources. We’ve kind of hinted and alluded to this already, but let’s break it out a little bit more just so you know what you’re seeing when internal and external sources are attempting to define your leader identity. It needs to be understood what’s happening and what’s going on, so again, you can recognize what’s happening and take appropriate action.

What happens when identity is defined by an external source? When an attempt is made by others or their opinions, or friends, or some success metrics that you have established? What happens when you allow your identity to be defined by those external factors?

This could take you in all different kinds of directions because it can take you in whatever direction that external force is headed. It can take you in their direction, what they see identity defined as, and who it is that they are allowing, or what they are allowing to have their identity defined as.

Those external sources, if you allow them to be the influence that defines your leader identity, are going to take you in whatever direction they feel is best. And you don’t know exactly what that is, because you don’t know what the motives are from their influence, or what the motives were of what or who influenced them. So it’s important to understand that external factors need to be evaluated.

We already talked about this and discussed it. There needs to be an evaluation done of the motives of the direction the influence is taking you.

What happens when identity is defined by internal sources, such as faith, your values, or your personal vision? Well, this becomes held more closely because now you have some say in this. You have had those conversations with the Holy Spirit to understand what it is that God’s saying about you, who it is that he’s calling you to be, the assignments that he’s given you, and the things he wants you to do. You’ve had these conversations, and so you’re starting to understand that. So if you allow your faith to be the first source that is defining your identity, that’s so much better for you. And along with that, your personal values or those internal convictions that you have play hand in hand with your faith.

Because again, we talked about this already, that you’ve had conversations with the Holy Spirit to understand what it is that’s going on with those, and what it is that God has placed inside of you as personal convictions, and understanding where it is that those are being triggered at to say, ‘Oh, my personal conviction has been violated.’ And along with that, the vision that you hold, where it is that you’re going.

You know, if you take the time to vision, which we’re going to talk about in the future, then you know where it is that you’re going. And this is going to play a part in shaping what happens when identity is defined from an internal source.

Questions to Consider

Are you letting external validation or internal convictions shape your leadership identity?

How do scripture and faith play into defining who you are as a leader?

Conclusion

Summary

There is still much to cover about leader identity, and I have been going on long enough. So, we are going to split this into two parts, and you can expect part two in a couple of weeks in episode eighty-seven.

CTA

I do want to leave you with two questions to think about and answer this week.

1. Are you letting external validation or internal convictions shape your leadership identity?
2. How do scripture and faith play into defining who you are as a leader?

I challenge you to step out boldly—share your thoughts with me! Whether it’s through an email or a DM on social media, I’d love to hear from you. You’ll find all the ways to reach me in the show notes.

I can’t wait to connect and continue the conversation with you!