It’s fairly difficult to assume a career as a professional and not take leadership seriously. Even if you don’t aspire to a leader role, you are or will be elevated to lead your clients, client work and younger staff. That being the case, you need to invest in your leadership development. So let’s assess how you’re doing.

Probably the most telling evidence of your leadership development is your ability to overcome the natural urge for self-preservation. You have to relearn how you approach people and situations and engage them differently. Here’s why.

The part of your brain that is unevolved, a holdover from when you lived in a cave and avoided sabre tooth tigers, taught you how to self-preserve. This drive is what kept you alive. Fast-forward to today, and you have developed other self-preservation techniques that protect you from different threats. The only problem is that your self-protecting actions prohibit you from being an effective leader.

One self-preserving technique is blaming. If you can pin failure on someone else, you have escaped. But effective leaders fight this urge and assume responsibility for results, even when those results are produced by the actions of others. Blaming may allow you to dodge a bullet, but it won’t build trust.

Another protective technique is to retreat. Under severe conditions like stress, confusion and weariness, your natural tendency is to close your door with a sign that reads “DND.” While you may feel better, those who follow you lose confidence in you pretty quickly. Effective leaders step into the chaos and conflict, even when they are unsure how to handle it. They are visible and active.

So, back to assessing your leadership progress—are you better able to overcome your urge to self-protect? And would those around you agree?