Understanding your personality, values, and emotions can help you become a better leader.

I am a third-year medical student and I recently completed an elective in leadership. I was asked to write a reflection on the experience and I thought it may be helpful to share what I learned with other students. This article is primarily based on my takeaways from the Physician Leadership Institute modules offered by the Canadian Medical Association.

If I ask you to think of a leader, who comes to mind? Maybe you thought of a recent Canadian Prime Minister, or perhaps an iconic, historical leader such as Julius Caesar. Maybe you thought of someone closer in your life, a mentor, a colleague or even a friend. There are leaders in all areas of our lives, in big and small roles.

You are a leader as well, whether you realize it or not. We often overlook the simple leadership roles in our day-to-day experiences because they are not explicitly labelled as such. Most of us have regular collaborative interaction with others, where using effective leadership skills can positively impact the group environment ­— that is an opportunity to be a leader.

Where do we start if we are trying to become better leaders? The answer might vary. What good leadership looks like often depends on context; however, a fundamental component that is applicable across all settings is self-awareness. Understanding your values, personality style, strengths and emotions is key for effective leadership.

Start by considering your values. Values are a set of beliefs that guide our decision-making and drive our actions. They are the reason why we sometimes say yes, and other times no. They are meant to be subjective, personal and can vary greatly between individuals. Some values remain stable throughout life, but others will change over time depending on your life circumstances or from personal growth. Recognizing a shift in values can be tricky, since some values influence our behaviour in subtle ways.

For example, living a healthy lifestyle is a common value, and many people go to the gym to uphold it. For others, an underlying value of discipline or companionship may drive their commitment to going to the gym. Dedicating time to reflect on your values gives you your “why” — your core purpose or motivation for doing something. It gives you clarity and direction when obstacles arise, and helps you prioritize your commitments when you have limited time and energy. In this way, values act as a compass to help us navigate life in moments of doubt. Take a moment now to think about what you truly value.

Your personality style also impacts your leadership behaviour, including how you make decisions, manage stress, resolve conflict and communicate with others. Understanding your personality style enables you to navigate interpersonal situations more effectively. Some personalities are more compatible than others. Insight into your personality will assist you in identifying individuals with complementary personalities and connecting with them. At the same time, your insight will also hold value in addressing conflicts with contrasting personalities. Recognizing and acknowledging personality differences establishes the foundation to facilitate productive conflict resolution. Go to https://www.16personalities.com/ to learn more about your personality type. 

Your strengths are the positive aspects of your character that stem from your personality and experiences. Although our strengths come naturally to us, they do not always start fully formed; these dormant strengths take effort and the right opportunities to develop. A strength-based approach fosters efficient personal growth by supporting engagement and making work more fulfilling, yielding greater results and boosting morale. In contrast, putting effort into trying to improve on our weaknesses can be demotivating, and in certain circumstances, even significant investments of time and effort may not produce substantial change.

This is not to say that weaknesses should be completely ignored. Rather, when you are limited by time, place less emphasis on your weaknesses and prioritize performing in your areas of strength. Understanding where these strengths lie and how you can incorporate them into your work will allow you to be more confident, engaged and contribute more productively.

Emotions are another factor that affect our behaviour. Group settings carry a distinct set of challenges that require us to balance emotional expression and social dynamics. Poorly controlled emotions can lead to impulsive decisions that disrupt the group environment, while a complete lack of emotion risks overlooking nuanced scenarios. However, when integrated in a balanced way, emotions can be helpful in guiding decisions. Paying attention to physical warning signs like an increased heart rate or sweating can provide insights into your emotional state. These physical reactions may even precede our conscious awareness of the emotions we experience. Emotional awareness also extends to how you present yourself to others through non-verbal communication. Being mindful of your body language and facial expressions ensures your intentions align with how you are perceived, supporting productive and genuine communication.

Our values, personality, strengths, and emotions are important components of who we are and they shape how we go about our lives. Understanding these parts of yourself is not a straightforward process, as developing self-awareness takes time and a commitment to growth. It requires asking yourself tough questions and scrutinizing your behaviour. Perhaps the most difficult part of all of this is that the process requires you to be honest with yourself. Not everyone is ready to do that.

For those who are willing to take on the challenge, you are on your way to becoming the best version of yourself. A version of yourself guided by values, that is capable of making more intentional choices, acting with greater confidence, and creating stronger relationships. When you can lead yourself with clarity and purpose, the ability to lead others will naturally follow.

Leadership is a skill that can be learned and practiced, and I hope that these words can encourage students to actively work on their leadership skills in both formal and informal leadership settings and ultimately improve the experiences of others around them.