Know Your Voice

We are all different

We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. It's so helpful to find tools that help you to know yourself better. The more self aware we are, the easier we are to be around.

I took a little online test on a website called 5Voices to see which my primary and secondary voices were and then I spent some time with my friend, Laura Mears, who is a coach and specialises in this area. It was fascinating.

This isn't all about me, but to give you some insight, my primary voice is The Pioneer and my secondary voice is a The Guardian. Sounds austere doesn't it?

I couldn't relate to the title, but once I looked in the tin, I really got it. One of the traits of that character type is that they explore all the potential pitfalls in order to create safety. Not trampoline-nets type safety, but the sort of safety that sees what might cause failure. That can be vital. Everyone needs a Guardian in their life. But there's a flip side too...

I'm married to a creative. He's full of dreams and ideas. We're a great combo. So often, when he has his great dreams I'm there to say, 'But have you thought of this?' That can bet vital. But it can be a crusher too. Laura taught me that there are times to turn my Guardian voice off and hear the dreams and see where they take us. Otherwise - what a crusher!

I wonder what your primary voice is and which ways it is strengthening your family, colleagues and friends and in which ways you can use it to the advantage of yourself and the people around you. And where you need, like me, to train it a bit.

If we lead ourselves well we lead others well. We're leaders. We're leading a family, or co-leading a family. I know that sometimes we're averse to that concept because it sounds overbearing. We're not controllers, we're inspirers, encouragers, enablers and protectors, to name but a few roles of parenting. So leading ourselves well is a healthy trait. In order to do that it can be so helpful to know what we incline towards naturally and where we need to build some muscle.

This week on the Podcast - The courageous Mumma, Laura and I chat about life, leadership, parenting, character and the impact we have on the people around us. If you want to be encouraged, empowered and equipped to be the best parent you can be, come on over and join us.

find: The courageous Mumma. Apple Podcasts

Or find it by clicking here.

Here are some quick insights into the different character types to give you a flavour, courtesty of 5Voices:

THE NURTURER

Champion of People

Are you always concerned about the relational health and harmony of the group? Are you completely committed to protecting values and principles? Do you innately understand how certain actions, behaviors, or initiatives will affect people?

find out if you are a nurturer

https://5voices.com/assessment/

THE CREATIVE

Champion of Innovation

Are you an outside the box thinker? Do you always believe things can be better? Do you often ask the question: “Why do people never seem to fully understand my ideas?”

Find Out If You Are a Creative

https://5voices.com/assessment/

THE GUARDIAN

Champion of Responsibility and Stewardship

Do you respect and value logic, order, procedure, and process? Do you seek clarity as well as logical and proven decision-making criteria even if you have to ask the tough questions to get there? Do you like to see established track records of success to justify trying something different?

Find Out If You Are a Guardian

https://5voices.com/assessment/

THE CONNECTOR

Champion of Relationships and Strategic Partnerships

Do you rally people to causes and things you believe in? Are you good at building and maintaining large networks of personal and professional relationships? Do you often respond to challenges with: “Whatever we need, I can get it or I have a source”?

Find Out If You Are a Connector

https://5voices.com/assessment/

THE PIONEER

Champion of Results and Progress

Do you approach life with an “Anything is possible!” attitude? Do you believe visioning a new future is always the highest priority? Are you always looking for the quickest, fastest, and most efficient ways so that you can win?