We are all leaders. In common discourse, leading means empowering people. As such, we are all the leaders of our own life. So the question is not whether you are a leader or not, but rather how well you are leading. In this post, we’re exploring what self-leadership is all about while identifying why you should invest in developing this skill.
Many individuals and leaders tend to react to external events and forces in a self-contained and unconscious way. In other terms, they have not yet fully developed their ability to react intentionally to external events. No matter how effective or ineffective you are currently in your role, you can decide to transform yourself (and others) into a successful, productive and positive leader. All it takes is to grow your self-awareness and intentionally sway your thoughts, emotions and behaviours to achieve your goals and have a positive impact on yourself, others and the organisation.
This requires a lot of self-awareness and self-regulation, as well as the ability to control your emotions and automatic reactions to intentionally decide on and influence your impact.
True leadership starts with (your)self
According to Bryant & Kazan, self-leadership is “the process of intentionally observing and influencing your thinking, feeling and behaviours to achieve your objectives”. In other terms , it’s about how you intentionally impact yourself, including how you think and behave, to achieve your goals and ambitions.
Self-leaders are acutely aware of who they are, their abilities, their purpose, their goal and their objectives. They are aware of their strengths and development opportunities, their values and their drivers. They understand what triggers them or makes them lose control. They know how their mental models work and the impact they have on their behaviours.
First you will have to understand yourself, because the hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself.
Second, to be an effective leader, you must take responsibility for your own development,”
(Bill Georges).
Self-leaders can provide a realistic self-assessment of their current emotional state and the factors that lead to their behaviour. They have the ability to pause, step back and reflect on what they think, feel and do in a particular situation. This is the source of their power! The power of choice. The power to be intentional and responsible for their actions and impact, and to make the appropriate adjustments to achieve their objectives. They clearly know where they are going and have the ability to observe and shape their thoughts, emotions and behaviours to serve this objective.
Self-leadership is an approach to life that focuses on responsibility for your own thoughts, feelings, actions and results. It is a journey, a daily practice that is powerful no matter where you stand in life or in your career.
To sum it up, self-leadership is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Before leading others effectively, you should be able to lead yourself first. True leadership begins internally, it begins with your state of mind. The first thing to do is to become aware of your mental models and patterns. Google has grasped this and invested in the development of leaders by encouraging them to slow down and become aware of their internal processes (thoughts, emotions). They taught their leaders how to prepare and influence their minds.
Organisations that are filled with self-leaders are successful. Unfortunately, self-leadership is one of the most frequently neglected and under-invested dimensions of human capital development by organisations.
Why you should invest in self-leadership
Self-leaders are taking responsibility for their life and success. They are in control, ask for what they need and strive to achieve the goals. They owe their destiny. Besides a strong sense of self-awareness, they are endowed with self-confidence and personal effectiveness. They know their strengths, know how to enhance them and have a strong believe in their capacity to reach their objective. Self-leaders, when empowered, know how to overcome constraints that limit their ability to solve problems, address challenges and develop innovative and creative solutions. They are motivated, productive and creative! Self-leaders have an internal locus of control and are resilient in face of adversity and change.
In addition, self-leaders support and encourage anyone else to become the same. As such, they are good mentors because they act as role models. When leaders and followers are self-leaders everyone knows their role and what they are good at. Encouraging self-leadership within a team or organisation leads to more collaborative, committed and engaged employees.
Stimulating a culture of self-leadership is clearly a key asset for organisations that want to thrive in a changing environment.
Your journey to self-leadership
As with any other competency, self-leadership does not change or develop without purposeful practice. It takes effort and regular training to improve. It requires self-awareness about your thoughts, emotional reactions, behaviours, triggers etc. It also means self-confidence and awareness about your strengths and added value. Finally it implies self-efficiency, the belief that whatever comes your way, you can handle it.
The 1st step is a self-discovery journey in which you’ll honestly assess who you are and your abilities. What are your values? Your strengths and areas for development? What’s working well for you? What are your challenges? What habits and beliefs are not relevant to you? What do you feel/think/do in specific situations? What could you do better?
In addition to self-awareness, the process requires honesty, courage, self-knowledge and self-discipline. Observe yourself with curiosity, compassion and a non-judgemental attitude. You can't lead until you're fully honest with yourself. Integrity is required to observe thoughts, emotions and behaviours without filter or judgment. Embark on a journey with kindness and self-acceptance.
Second, identify your goal and intentions. What is your purpose? What makes you a leader? Which leaders are your role models and why? What are the values that drive you? What will be your legacy? Set a goal that inspires you and will get you moving, a goal for which you are ready to step outside your comfort zone and overcome challenges.
Finally, design your development plan. Highlight the skills and competencies to be acquired, the strengths to be maximized and the changes you need to make. Intentionally build the leader you want by using behavioural, emotional and mental strategies.
Use this summer as an opportunity to develop yourself intentionally and grow as a leader. Over the next 12 weeks, we will post practical tips and exercises to help you on this journey. Then follow us on Linkedin or subscribe to the newsletter.
Feel free to contact us for additional coaching support .
To go further, watch the video on the Search Inside Yourself powered by Google.