This is a review of one of my favorite books of all time, “The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness”, which was just released by my dear friend, Lolly Daskal. It has already reached numerous bestseller lists, Lolly has been called “The Most Inspiring Woman in The World” by Huffington Post, and designated a Top 50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. Magazine. After decades of advising and inspiring some of the most eminent chief executives in the world, Lolly Daskal has uncovered a startling pattern: within each leader are powerful abilities that are also hidden impediments to greatness. In this book, she reveals her proven system, which leaders at any level can apply to dramatically improve their results.
Her system concentrates on who you need to be while leading. She says that within us are two competing sides of polarity, but only one leads to greatness. If we want to lead better and have a positive impact, we must constantly observe when our strengths are showing itself, and when our weaknesses creep up. Inspired by the works of Carl Jung, Victor Frankl, and Joseph Campbell, Lolly designed the 7 Archetypes of a Great Leader and what their shadows are: (This is intended to be gender-neutral, but for the purpose of this article and her book’s consistency, Lolly uses “he” and “his”.)
- The Rebel — The Rebel sees something that isn’t right in the world, and then does everything in his power to correct it. The key to The Rebel’s success is his confidence. However if self-doubt creeps up, he turns into The Imposter.
- The Explorer — The Explorer knows when to rely on his analytical mind, and when to rely on his intuitive mind. The key to The Explorer’s success is his intuition, however if manipulation creeps up, he turns into The Exploiter.
- The Truth Teller — The Truth Teller is driven by a sincere desire to help and will speak out courageously when his honesty serves others, even at the risk of offending people. The key to The Truth Teller’s success is his candor, however when suspicion pops up, he become The Deceiter.
- The Hero — The Hero is fearless. He doesn’t hesitate to act while others stand by. The key to The Hero’s success is courage, however when fear pops up, they become The Bystander.
- The Inventor — The Inventor is a visionary, constantly innovating and improving processes and products. The integrity of his ideas is paramount, and he refuses to settle for anything less than excellence. The key to The Inventor’s success is integrity, however when corruption pops up, they become The Destroyer.
- The Navigator — The Navigator is a trusted leader who steers people toward pragmatic workable outcomes, uncomplicated solutions, and powerful results. The key to The Navigator’s success is trust, however when arrogance pops up, he becomes The Fixer.
- The Knight — The Knight is a loyal protector, champion, and defender with unwavering beliefs. The key to The Knight’s success is loyalty, however when self-serving pops up, he becomes The Mercenary.
Learning these archetypes has had an immediate effect on how I view my leadership style, and how I can better connect with the people I lead and serve. Lolly advocates that we must be a habitual life learner because: “When you stop questioning, you stop learning. And when you stop learning, you stop leading”.
Lolly’s gift is helping leaders identify what stands between them and their greatness — their leadership gap. Lolly says:
- We are all capable of standing in our greatness.
- We internalize our gaps.
- Negative messages create gaps.
- Our secrets create large, deep gaps.
I know that identifying our gaps and weaknesses can be a daunting task, but once we gain clarity about them, we can learn to work around them. After reading Lolly’s books, I uncovered a secret I had been sitting on since I was a kid. I never realized how much that secret was holding me back and she encouraged me to give voice to it. I shared it with my community and it feels like 1,000 lbs have been lifted off my shoulders, I’m now ready to stand in my fullest light.
Don’t let your gaps stand in your way.
To purchase a copy of Lolly’s book, click HERE.
Join the 1.3 million people that follow Lolly on Twitter HERE.
Hope ya’ll are having a phenomenal day on Earth, remember It’s Your World Go Explore!
With Love and Pasta Sauce,
Chris Schembra
Chief Question Asker, 7:47 Club
Originally published at medium.com