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‘Self-Leadership is a continuous path’

Thu 19 August 2010

, Leap, LEAP

Bianca Heiszwolf has been in marketing management at Philips for almost ten years. She’s presently Consumer Marketing Director Kitchen Appliances. Bianca was literally on her way out for a holiday, but found some time to reflect on self-leadership.

“First of all, it is good to reflect on where and how you are,” Bianca kicks off. “The Energy event in June gave me the opportunity to get information, socialise and even relax! I received a good number of ideas about how to grow in my own self-leadership. The agenda was well-balanced overall, providing good occasions for stimulating discussion. I think a little more of that reflection time would probably have benefited the world café.”

Ownership
What does self-leadership mean to Bianca? “It’s about sticking to your values, not being afraid to express yourself. In short, it’s about taking ownership of who you are, what you think and how you express your opinions.” For Bianca, all this can be summarized in one word: authenticity.

Leadership journey
Authenticity is also a leading idea on Bianca’s journey to self-leadership. Is she there yet? “No, I’m not! I am always looking for opportunities to grow. This is how you get from where you are to where you want to be: by listening, being open to people - and then being prepared to adapt your leadership style.”

Continuous path
Bianca has been doing a couple of things since the event, like sharing articles and discussing ideas with colleagues. But she’s not one who wants to do a step-by-step planning of things. “Self-Leadership is a continuous path, so I tend to regard the whole journey. It’s not something that I would lay down in a document. As I said, the event has helped to capture a particular moment in time. I am aware of areas I need to work on and want to increase my knowledge.”

Coaching
“Do I need coaching? Absolutely – everybody does. I have people, peers and managers, around me who are helpful. And of course, I do my bit of coaching as well. Frequently, unexpectedly – those are the best coaching moments.”