Education leaders stay true to the things that make them unique and tirelessly move towards their goals despite outside pressures to conform or change. Hard-work, dedication, and long-term focus are essential to genuine leadership. Genuine leaders are not trying to be prototypical, they are trying to be themselves. They understand that trying to be like someone else will leave you exhausted and unfulfilled.

You need to work on your authenticity

How can you become a genuine leader? Decide early on in your leadership career what your principles and core values are going to be. Use these to guide your decision making and don’t second guess yourself. Don’t fall into the trap of attempting to make the decision that someone else would make, make the decision that your heart is calling you to make. Remember, there is only one of you, and you have all of the charisma and wisdom that you need to stand on your own. In the end, genuine leaders reap the benefits of breaking the mold and following their own path. They experience longevity in the field of education, and people love their authenticity.

So the next time you feel as though you have to fit into a certain mold to be respected or accepted, resist this urge and be yourself. In the end, you have to go home and look at yourself in the mirror. If you are not being yourself, then you will not like what you see.

Concluding thoughts

Believe you me, there have been plenty of times when I either felt like I needed to conform to someone else preferences or was pressured to do so. In the end, I resented the individuals that attempted to make me conform, as I knew I would be selling my soul as a leader and compromising my individuality.

I resisted, and in the end, I prevailed, eventually deciding to move out on my own and become my own boss. I am not saying that entrepreneurship is your path, but when a company does not respect your individuality, it is time to make a change. Who knows what your change will be or look like.