Self-Leadership

Great leadership is a cultivated art. It begins with self- leadership. Because at the center of leadership is the person who, more than anything else makes the difference. Leadership success or failure begins with how the leader approaches self-leadership. Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and behaviors to achieve your objective. Self-leaders have a drive for autonomy, can make decisions, are more creative and persist, even in the face of adversity. Here are few points on the qualities of self-leaders which distinguishes them from others:

Live for something bigger than yourself: Great leaders do what they do because it makes a difference to others – whether customers, employees, citizens or society at large. Mediocre people ask the familiar question: “What’s in it for me?” Great leaders are not selfless. Their selfish interest is to feel good about themselves because they made a difference to someone else. Life is too short to play small with your bigness. Great leaders takes it as a personal obligation to run their mind like a superstar and takes natural responsibility to be great.

Choose who you spend your time with (your association): No man is an island. We are influenced every day by who we spend our time with. Human being are emotionally contagious. We model the people around us and behave like the people we spend time with. Great leaders spend time with people smarter than themselves, whom they can learn from – whether it’s working for the right organization or hanging out with friends on weekends. Every bit counts. They live a contrarian life. Greatness is a self-improving cycle. Mediocre people surround themselves with other mediocre people – they don’t want to feel threatened.  Mediocrity is a self-sustaining prophecy.

Confront the facts – yet keep the faith: Great leaders are always dissatisfied and passionate. They remember that no matter how good things are, there’s always a better way. Great leaders are also resilient and persistent. No matter how bad things seem at the moment, they believe in their ability to control their destinies and overcome their challenges. Mediocre people are content with status-quo. If things are going well, that’s good enough; if they’re not going well, it’s for reasons beyond their control.

Be authentic and simplify: Great leaders would rather be authentic than artificially popular. Great leaders simplify how they deal with the world by focusing on fundamental principles. They will deal with people and situations flexibly, but base their judgment on principles, not convenience or popular culture. Great leaders reduce the amount of clutter in their lives – by not wanting too much, and by finding and developing the right people to empower and delegate to. Mediocre people complicate things. They’re forever chasing the latest fad, buying new things to show off, and never learn to empower others.

Discipline eats “freedom” for lunch: Great leaders understand that discipline is the balance between their rights and their responsibilities. They will demand their dues, but do more than their bit. Mediocre people over-correct to one or the other. Some are vociferous in demanding their rights, and will explain failure by describing how they’re being denied their rights. Others will forever wait for instructions, and won’t use their right to think different.

Stay relevant: Technology is both accelerating our productivity and threatening our very reasons for existence. Younger workers are more aware and smarter than we were when we began our careers. Great leaders keep current with technology and surround themselves with smarter and younger people they can learn from. By doing so, they multiply the impact they have on their ecosystem. Mediocre people stick to the old ways of doing things until technology risks their jobs. They feel threatened by the younger, smarter lot, and try to compete on rank and seniority until the inevitable happens – the young and restless win!

Self-leadership is an ongoing process of self-reflection. Continual self-leadership is a mark of leadership maturation. Personal leadership is a never-ending work in progress that draws on continually maturing self-understanding. Some people never mature as leaders — they remain insecure, self-defeating, juvenile or worse still, delinquent in their leadership development. And like all leadership skills, self-leadership skills can also be acquired. No matter what age, stage or circumstance in life, anyone can become a better person, a better leader. Self-leadership is imperative if we want to be great leaders.

Source: Good to Great by Jim Collins

             Compounding Effects by Darren Hardy

             Articles by Robin Sharma