Many leaders look outward for answers. They chase strategies, best practices, and performance metrics, hoping to find the key to effective leadership. But here’s what I’ve learned: real leadership doesn’t start with doing more, fixing more, or leading more loudly. It starts with the courage to look inward.

This is about pausing. About getting quiet enough to hear the whispers of your values, beliefs, and emotions, the things that are shaping your leadership whether you realize it or not. When you reach in, you uncover the “why” behind how you lead. And when you know that, leadership stops being something you do and starts being an extension of who you are.

One way to reach in? Writing. Putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) has a way of cutting through the noise and getting to the heart of what matters. Here are three writing exercises to help you lead from a place of clarity, purpose, and authenticity.

Core Values Audit

Why it matters: When you’re clear on your values, decision-making gets easier, and your leadership becomes more intentional.

Try this:

• Write down ten values that matter most to you (e.g., integrity, courage, curiosity).

• Narrow it down to your top three—the ones that define how you want to lead and live.

• Think of a recent decision you made. How did these values show up? Did your decision honour them? If not, what would alignment look like?

The "What" Ladder

Why it matters: Sometimes, we react instead of responding. Digging deeper helps us understand what’s really driving our choices.

Try this:

• Think of a challenge you faced recently. Ask yourself: What could I have done differently?

• Take that answer and ask What else?

• Keep going, at least five times. Each layer peels back a surface-level reaction and gets you closer to the root of what’s really at play.

  
  

Daily Check-In

Why it matters: Emotional agility, the ability to recognize and regulate your emotions, separates reactive leaders from intentional ones.

Try this:

• At the end of each day, take five minutes to write down the dominant emotions you felt.

• For each one, ask: What did I feel? How did I react?

• Over time, look for patterns. Where do your emotions serve your leadership? Where do they get in the way?

The goal isn’t to be perfect. The goal is to be aware. To lead from a place of deep self-knowledge, where your leadership isn’t just something you do, it’s something you live.