The term “leadership” is a nebulous one.
What is a leader anyway?
Do you have to have an official role with positional authority to be a leader? Or can you practice leadership in any context?
Does it need to look a certain way or can it show up differently depending on the person yet still be effective?
Do you need to change aspects about who you are and how to do things to be an effective leader or are there other ways to succeed as a leader while still maintaining your authentic self and who you are at your core?
These are the conversations we have in our Towerscope Leadership Academy membership community.
I teach folks how to reconcile the discrepancies they experience and find their own path that feels right for them.
In my experience, when you find the right community, you can truly thrive - pushing each other when it’s important while supporting and celebrating each other as you grow.
As a result, through the right community, whether in small or big ways, we are not the same people after the experience.
One of the things I have learned is that, while learning more information is why most high-achievers enroll in leadership development programs, it’s the community of learners that are in the journey with them - holding them accountable and supporting them - that makes the greatest difference in their learning outcomes.
In fact, here’s what one of our members shared about her “aha!” moment:
“Throughout my leadership career, I've found it very difficult to maintain community outside of my immediate sphere. This experience has been extremely good for me to stretch and develop relationships that I would have never ever developed in another way. It was an incredibly positive thing for me. And I think that that's what you need to do as you're moving into higher levels of leadership.” -Marianne, Executive Director of a professional national non-profit organization
But often, it’s very difficult to find the right professional community, especially through a leadership development program.
Most leadership development programs will place the learning first. Strong content and learning events are critical.
But transformative experiences also require facilitating connections through structured opportunities that help people grow.
And in the current climate of distributed and hybrid or remote teamwork within organizations, connection and community are now more important than ever before.
We don’t prioritize connection and community because it takes work. It takes thought. It takes intention. It takes effort.
And yet, it’s through these two elements that you move from small impact where you elevate yourself in small ways to large impact where you are leading at the highest levels and also helping others do the same.
If you are already doing this, keep going, the world really needs more of this right now. If you are seeking this for yourself, check out and apply for our next Leadership Academy cohort here.