Your brand of leadership
Why Copy/Paste won’t Cut it
I recently asked a mentor for honest feedback on my portfolio overhaul. He looked at my homepage, paused, and said:
“If I covered your logo, this could belong to any designer or agency.”
Oof. That hit hard. I thought I was saying all the right things to attract the kind of role I wanted. The kind that would signal I’d “leveled up.” Instead, I’d blended in. I’d become the design equivalent of white noise.
It stung, but I’m grateful. I have mentors who see past the veneer of well-crafted case studies and buzzword-filled mission statements. That one comment forced me to stop and ask:
What actually makes me special?
Now, I didn’t go into full existential spiral ( just a mini one). But I came out of it clearer, more assured, and deeply motivated to rethink how I show up; not just as a designer, but as a leader.
And that’s what this reflection is really about:
You can’t lead like someone else’s job description.
You have to lead like you.
I was raised with the circus, I know how to stand out.
The False Safety of Fitting In
There’s this subtle trap we fall into, especially when job-hunting or leveling up: we try to become the leader the company says it wants. We mimic language from job posts. We retrofit our stories to check the right boxes. We “optimize” until we become indistinguishable.
But that’s not leadership. That’s performing alignment.
Real leadership isn’t just about fitting into an org. It’s about shaping it. That requires knowing your unique value and trusting it enough to let it shine.
When you shape yourself to be “the kind of leader they’re looking for,” it feels strategic, safe, even. You’re playing the game, matching expectations, proving you’re adaptable. But here’s the hard truth:
“If you’re always trying to be what others want, you’ll never become who you’re meant to be.” — Unknown
Mimicry isn’t leadership. It’s survival. And while survival mode might land you the role, it won’t help you thrive in it.
Why That’s Not Leadership
Leadership IS NOT about matching a mold. It’s about modeling clarity, conviction, and trust. You can’t do that if your compass points to what others expect instead of what you believe.
When you defer too much to what the organization “wants,” here’s what happens:
You become reactive instead of visionary.
You struggle to advocate for your team or ideas because they were never really yours.
You burn out trying to maintain a persona instead of a purpose.
True leaders bring more than competence — they bring coherence. The kind that aligns values with decisions, even when it’s inconvenient.
“Be yourself — everyone else is already taken.” — Oscar Wilde
Identifying Your Unique Leadership Value
So how do you avoid becoming a buzzword chameleon?
Here are five practical steps to uncover your leadership fingerprint:
1. Audit Your Impact
Instead of listing your skills, ask:
What types of outcomes follow me around?
What problems do I repeatedly solve?
What do people thank me for most?
You’re not just “strategic”. Maybe you’re the one who brings structure to chaos. Or the calm in the boardroom storm.
2. Listen to Your Feedback Loops
Pull language from:
Peer reviews
Exit interviews (if you’ve led teams)
One-on-one feedback
Patterns will emerge. That’s your value showing up, even if you’ve been too close to see it.
3. Name Your ‘Unreasonable Advantage’
This is the thing you bring that others can’t fake. It might be:
Your uncanny ability to read power dynamics
Your storytelling instincts
Your systems intuition
You don’t have to be good at everything. Just rare at the right thing.
4. Draw Your Leadership Venn
Create a 3-circle Venn:
What energizes me?
What comes naturally?
What creates value for others?
The overlap? That’s your zone of authentic leadership.
Identifying your brand of leadership happens when you answer simple questions, honestly.
5. Test Your Voice in the Wild
Share your take — on LinkedIn (tag me, even), in team retros, in mentoring convos. Do people nod? Do they quote you back later? You’re onto something.
Lead Like You
You don’t need to wait for a job title, a reorg, or permission to lead.
You just need to start showing up as the clearest version of yourself.
The truth is, your leadership style already exists It’s shaped by your lived experiences, your quirks, your hard-won lessons, and the way you move through challenge and change. The more you try to suppress or smooth it out to fit someone else’s ideal, the further you drift from your real influence.
So here’s the call to action:
Lead like you mean it.
Define your values. Know your edge. Speak from your own damn voice.
The people who matter (your future team, your collaborators, your company) aren’t looking for another “safe hire.” They’re looking for someone who brings conviction, clarity, and care.
That doesn’t start with fitting in.
It starts with standing up.
TL;DR
When you lead like someone else’s expectations, you’re not leading, you’re acting. The world already has enough shapeshifters. What it needs are rooted, resonant voices.
You don’t need to shout to lead.
But you do need to sound like yourself.