889: What Is Agency and the Importance of Developing It

Shameless Leadership

So, what is personal agency?

According to Shaun Gallagher and his work on philosophical conceptions of the self, personal agency refers to, “the sense that I am the one who is causing or generating an action.” This means that a person with a sense of agency perceives themselves as the subject influencing their own actions and life circumstances.

A couple of years ago, I had the chance to do a three-day Trauma-Informed Practice Intensive for Coaches and Leaders. One of the things we kept coming back to over the course of these three days was making sure we, as coaches and leaders, are creating spaces that allow our clients a strong sense of agency.

As we dug into this from various angles and examined it through the lens of trauma, I got more and more curious and started doing my own research on the side. I know, super nerd alert. I love geeking out on this stuff. While I won’t bore you with the super coachy stuff, I do want to share with you the juicy parts that I know have the potential to benefit you right away.

One of the best parts of my job is providing you with tools to see your own power and your own ability to make choices that serve you. I want you to feel confident in your own sense of self and sense of agency that guides your decision-making and action-taking.

In this Greatest Hits episode, I dig into:

• What personal agency is and what it can mean for you
• Why is a sense of agency important
• 6 ways to develop your sense of agency

It is my hope that developing your sense of agency will give you clarity and discernment around who you are and who you are becoming, and that, in turn, will impact how you show up and have impact in the world.

Links mentioned:

• Trudi Lebron: trudilebron.com
• Article: https://www.mindful.org/seven-ways-to-develop-personal-agency/

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