Lead on Purpose, Own Your Identity

Jan 6
2 min read

This month, we’re focused on purposeful leadership through defining your identity.

January 6, 2026

Originally published in One More Rep, our weekly leadership newsletter. 👉 Subscribe here

Many of us didn't start our careers with leadership as the goal. We inherited it or were promoted into it. One day, we moved from being an individual contributor to being responsible for people and results.

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At LeaderReps, we talk about identity often. It’s shown up in One More Rep before, and it will again, because identity is foundational.

Getting the title of “leader” is an event. Becoming a leader is a process. Embracing leadership means defining who you are as a leader and practicing that identity daily.

If you don’t define what kind of leader you want to be, the job will define it for you, through pressure, urgency, and other people’s expectations.

Purposeful leaders pause to ask:

Who will I be when things get uncomfortable?
What do I want people to experience when they work with me?
What am I building through my decisions and actions?

These questions help you begin defining your leadership identity, work that unfolds through reflection and revision over time.

Rep

This week, think about the specific behaviors that shape your leadership identity day to day.

Your rep is to write a leadership intention statement -- a simple way to pre-commit to how you want to show up, especially when things get challenging.

“As a leader, I intend to ________, even when ________.”

"When ________, happens, I'll do ________."

Examples:

“…create clarity, even when I don’t have all the answers.”
“…address issues early, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
"When a direct interrupts my work, I'll take a breath/give them my full attention."

Reflect

Ask yourself:

Where did I default to autopilot leadership last year? (We all do it. The goal is to understand what triggers it.)
In what scenarios do I already show up in alignment with my leadership identity?
What would change if I filtered leadership decisions through my intention statement(s)?

Identity isn’t something you decide once. It’s something you reinforce through reps. The more often you return to your identity, the stronger it becomes.