Before we begin our journey together, I want to invite you to consider something that often gets overlooked in leadership spaces:

Self-honesty.

This is not to suggest that you need to fix or critique yourself, rather, I invite you to witness where you are right now as impartially and honestly as possible.

Think of this as taking a picture—a snapshot of your current leadership experience. Not a glam shot, but an honest reflection of your inner world: your energy, clarity, voice, values, vision, and leadership ‘quality.’ Because at the end of this program, you’ll take another picture.

That’s when the transformation will be more visible—not just in what you know, but in how you feel and express yourself, and in how you feel about the clarity and direction of your leadership.

The best way to assess your progress is to know where you started.

You are an explorer of your own domain, so get comfortable, get curious, suspend self-criticism, and allow yourself to have fun throughout the process.

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I provide extra detail and guidance on how to get the most out of today’s self-reflection questions.

Take a snapshot of your personal landscape.

I can’t tell you what you need to do, but I can guide you to consider your own pathway to lead with greater clarity, conviction, openness, and integrity resulting in more influence and impact for those you support.

There’s no single formula for leadership—but there is a path—a human-hearted one rooted in six interwoven principles that I use in my coaching practice to support queer leaders in their personal and leadership evolution.

When these principles align, your leadership becomes not only effective — but courageous, inspiring, and unmistakably yours.

Six Questions to Assess How You Lead with Integrity.

Answer these questions in a notebook, a Google Doc, or a journaling app. What matters is that you answer for you, not for me or anyone else.

This is not a test. There are no right answers. This is about seeing yourself with honesty and compassion so you can grow from a place of truth—not performance or perfection.

This is where your transformation begins. Let yourself be seen—even if it’s just by you.

FEEL

You can’t lead well if you don’t feel well.

* How are you really doing—emotionally, mentally, and physically—and how is that affecting how you show up as a leader?

KNOW

Your values and beliefs are your compass. You need to know what you stand for.

* What values do you rely on when you’re unsure how to respond, act, or decide? Are those values immediately clear—or more like a feeling you can’t quite name?

THINK

Ethical clarity is cultivated through both emotional intelligence and reason.

* When you’re facing tough decisions or conflicting demands, how do you make sense of what’s ethical, right, or worth your time and energy?

VOICE

Your unique expression is how you inspire others and share your truth for clear communication.

* Where do you feel most heard, and where do you still hold back? What keeps your voice from being fully expressed and understood?

DREAM

Without a compelling vision and direction, your leadership loses momentum.

* What’s your mission or vision that pulls you forward? What social change or transformation do you most want to experience in the world?

LEAD

True leadership is the natural integration of all these parts into visible, impactful action.

* When you picture yourself leading with clarity, confidence, and integrity, what feels like it’s missing right now—and what feels aligned and powerful?

Real Leaders Ask for Guidance and Support

I’m passionate about this program and how fully committing to answering the questions with curiosity and vulnerability will reward you with deep insights into how you—and what you can do with those learnings.

With any learning experience, if something I said wasn’t clear, or if you feel stuck answering a question, ask for help right away. Drop me a note in the comments or DM me if it’s too personal. Clarity and alignment are within your reach—all you need to do is ask.

Up next in this series on Leading with Queer Integrity: How your leadership suffers or thrives in relation to how you well you FEEL.

Want to explore these principles with more clarity, depth, and guidance? Learn more about working with me one-on-one and request a conversation here: https://www.darrenstehle.com/coaching

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit darrenstehle.substack.com

How to Take an Honest Snapshot of Your Current Leadership Qualities