The journey to becoming an authentic and effective leader starts by taking a moment to learn about yourself, says Jamie Marsh, director of BBA Career Services at the University of Wisconsin School of Business.

“You must know yourself and what you’re made of to be an effective leader,” says Marsh, who addressed CUNA Management School Monday in Madison, Wis.

She says leaders need to look within to determine their “why,” goals, values, and emotional intelligence. With that self-knowledge, people are equipped to become authentic leaders.

Marsh suggests answering these questions to gain self-knowledge:

• Why are you here?
• How do you deliver value to your clients?
• How do you make an impact on your industry and society?
• How can you improve?
• What is your ultimate career goal?
• What does success look like?

Answering these questions will allow you to both grow in your career, form relationships with others, and determine your values—the standards or principles that guide your actions, beliefs, and decisions.

“Values should reflect who we are, but also who we want to be,” Marsh says.

Identifying your “why,” goals, and values, and combining them with emotional intelligence—or the ability to recognize and manage your emotions and others’ emotions to form relationships—will allow you to become an effective authentic leader, she says.