How to Build Leadership Capacity

In today's competitive world, leadership is no longer about titles; it's about impact. Whether leading a company, a team, or your own life, your leadership capacity can significantly impact your influence and effectiveness as a leader. As leadership expert John Maxwell explains in his Law of the Lid: "Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person's level of effectiveness." In other words, if you rate your leadership at a level 6, your effectiveness will never exceed that unless you raise the lid. And the good news? You can raise it, but you must do so intentionally and strategically. That's where my SOAR Framework comes in. I use this process to help high achievers and ambitious leaders unlock their potential by building capacity from the inside out. Here's how to apply it in your leadership journey.

1. Self-awareness: Know Your Strengths and Blind Spots

The starting point of leadership growth is self-awareness. You can't grow what you don't know. Ask yourself, "What are my leadership strengths? What are the consistent challenges I face? How do others experience my leadership?" Tools like 360° feedback, journaling, or working with a coach can help uncover your blind spots and patterns. Once you become aware of them, you can lead with greater purpose and precision. The bottom line is this: you can't raise the lid if you don't know where it is.

2. Options: Expand What You Believe Is Possible

Awareness unlocks the door, but options help you step through it. Many leaders stay stuck not because they lack talent but because they lack perspective. They haven't yet seen what's possible beyond their current mindset. This stage is about learning from mentors, coaches, and diverse leaders. It's about challenging your assumptions and asking better questions to uncover better strategies. The most powerful leaders don't have all the answers; they're just willing to explore new ones. Hence, expanding your options expands your future since you grow into the leader you believe you can become.

3. Action and Review: Execute Relentlessly. Reflect Continuously

Leadership growth requires more than insight. It demands action. But that action must be aligned, intentional, and reviewed often. Here's how to activate this process. Set bold, purpose-driven goals. Build daily and weekly habits that reinforce your leadership vision. Schedule regular reviews to ask, "What's working? What's not? What's next?" The combination of execution and reflection creates momentum. It builds confidence and clarity. Also, it keeps your leadership growth sustainable over time. Furthermore, consistency beats intensity, while reflection turns experience into insight.

Final Word

You were not born to play small. But your ability to lead others will always be capped by how much you're willing to grow yourself. Building leadership capacity means intentionally raising your leadership lid. Using the SOAR Framework—Self-Awareness, Options, Action, and Review—you'll expand your skills and influence and step fully into the leader you need to be. Hence, you don't need to have it all figured out. Just get started because the world needs leaders who are bold, resilient, and #Unstoppable.