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AUGUST 2024 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 25 only perceptive but also tailored to the specific needs of its people. How to Get Started Aristotle was right: "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wis- dom." To lead with empathy, you have to reflect inwardly. You must know yourself. Knowing yourself requires deep personal reflection, answering these questions: Who am I? What's my personal history? What are my roots? What are my values? Your Life Map ere is a reciprocal relationship between your life story and developing empa- thy as a leader—if you know where you've come from and why, you can better under- stand the challenges and motivations of others. e Life Map is a tool to create a visual rep- resentation of key moments in your life. In a developmental framework, it allows you to explore your life and accomplishments, iden- tify themes and patterns of success, and gain insights. Mapping your life story helps you rec- ognize what has been meaningful about your experiences, allowing you to clarify your pur- pose and connect authentically with yourself and others. How to complete your Life Map: 1. You'll need to open up a document or note-taking app on your computer or phone. 2. Draw a line graph that represents a chron- ological timeline capturing the high and low points of your life, from birth to the present day. 3. Using words, pictures, or drawings, fill in important milestones and key events. Which moments have mattered the most? Consider the major events that have sig- nificantly impacted your life. Starting at the le-hand side of the sheet, which rep- resents your first memory, graph the life events and experiences that have had the most impact on you. 4. Highlight accomplishments and important lessons. Include big events you can recall, both good and bad, as well as significant milestones. Examples could be moving to a new country, switching schools, or expe- riencing changes in family circumstances, such as losing a loved one. 5. Plot negative events or experiences below the horizontal line and positive ones above it. e more negative or positive the event, the farther it should fall from the "neutral" line. Label the highs and lows with a short descrip- tion of the event or experience, or use an image to represent that moment. Oen, this exercise yields great insights and clarity, helping you notice connections between events and emotions you otherwise might not have considered. You might think, "I didn't realize when my mom and dad got divorced, that was the effect it had on me," or "I didn't realize because we were army chil- dren and moved around a lot, I learned to con- nect with new people very quickly, and that's what makes me a great leader." Typically, your life experiences prior to age 24 have the great- est impact on shaping how you walk through life and who you are as a leader. LIFE MAP CHART YOUR EXPERIENCE EARLIER LATER Figure 1: A blank Life Map.