The choice is ours to make

We attract constantly what is happening to us. We make choices and they have consequences, and these build up into experiences. We choose our governments, our leaders, our careers, our partners, and everything else we experience reflects the choices we make.

We also attract what we fuss over, lose sleep over and the negativity we carry and what we decide to do with our life and circle of influence.

All around us are examples of such things happening. The elections, the pandemic and its repercussions, the chaos that economies are dealing with, the overall slump in everything. It is palpable and far too real to ignore.

At every point of time in our lives we have the option to choose and this choice will define the future. What does this mean in context of leadership? How does this awareness help us in our professional journeys?

I will share with all of you what has helped me when it comes to understanding that the power rests with me and that the outcomes of decisions that I take are fuelled by my own choices.

We all choose to be leaders and like the famous Spiderman dialogue, “With great power, comes great responsibility.”

Here is what has helped me:

Knowing that I was empowered to take decisions
Knowing that I had the freedom to fail and learn from that
Knowing that every challenge is an opportunity
Knowing that there is no replacement for empathy and that it yields the best results
Having the ability to discern what is relevant and important versus what is not
Having the discretion to know when to react and when to respond (pro-tip – always avoid reacting)
Being mindful and real about all situations
The perfect balance of the usage of the heart and the head
Every choice has an outcome
Leadership is not a cake walk and takes a lot of effort
Being aware, of teams, situations, problems and more

How do you then, hone your choice making and decision taking skill? Again, here is what helps me:

Balance is key – outlook, approach and more
Managing emotions effectively
Understanding relevance and rationale
Being decisive
Taking responsibility and accountability for the decisions made
Positively impacting and realizing the change or decision
Not acting on fears or insecurity
The ability to pause when needed and play when needed
Deep insight and good instinct
High EQ and emotional intelligence
Managing chaos and uncertainty
Leveraging vulnerability
While we navigate our course through our lives, it is important to understand what needs intuition, data, insight, impact, influence as we make these choices.

So, here’s to making more informed and evolved choices…

The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.