Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
To achieve any goal or objective, you need to master self leadership. It helps you to to be firm on your principles and values and enable you also have a high level of self worth to navigate through the inevitable challenges you may encounter when trying to achieve this goal.
Self leadership makes you a self starter and always in control of your thoughts and emotions. It is a fundamental attribute to have in life if you want to accomplish anything, achieve success, develop a vision and purpose and influence others towards their own goals and objectives.
I am big on self leadership because I believe no body can lead you to your purpose except yourself. Nobody feels your pain, knows your situation, knows the effect of the challenges you have faced nor the difficulties you have endured except YOU!!!!. So nobody can lead you towards a resolution and a higher level of success to overcome everything you are facing except yourself. Ironically though, the average human being finds it easier to influence others than to influence him/her own self. This is why self leadership is so critical and important.
The concept of leadership itself is very common and many books have been written about it, but the concept of self leadership is much more complex and has not been fully explored because it is something you must achieve by yourself.
While I will make a very exhaustive attempt to show you what self leadership is, its features and steps to take in order to assimilate this concept; in order to adopt this concept in your everyday life, you must be fully committed to make a decision and take necessary consistent action.
“Self-discipline is a form of freedom. Freedom from laziness and lethargy, freedom from the expectations and demands of others, freedom from weakness and fear—and doubt. Self-discipline allows a pitcher to feel his individuality, his inner strength, his talent. He is master of, rather than a slave to, his thoughts and emotions.”
— H.A. Dorfman
The Mental ABCs of Pitching
WHAT IS SELF LEADERSHIP???
Self Leadership is having a highly developed sense of who you are, what you can do, where you are going, in addition to having the ability to influence your own communication, your own emotions and your own behaviour on the way to getting there.
Or simply put: “Self-leadership is the process by which you influence yourself to achieve your objectives.”
I want you to know that Self leadership is a journey, and the more self-leadership you attain as a person, the more successful you become. The more successful you become, the more self-leadership you will need.”
“Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” Lao Tzu
WHY DO YOU NEED SELF-LEADERSHIP???
You need self-leadership in your life when :
- You are in search of more meaning and you really want to turn your life around for the better.
- You realize that the results that you are getting are not satisfactory and you want to achieve more out your life.
- You decide to to achieve new goals instead of the same old ones.
- You stop being on the defensive and start being responsible for your own life outcomes.
- You decide to leave your comfort zone and take charge of your life.
- You want to achieve more success
You face a tragedy that compels you to be in charge of things that were initially not your responsibility - You want to develop an integrity that will influence others to act and follow you
- You want to really grow to become the person you have always dreamed of being.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SELF-LEADER???
- Self-discipline
- Responsibility
- Accountability
- Curiosity
- Self-Honesty
- Humility
- Inner faith
- Self compassion
- Assertiveness
- Willingness
WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPLES FOR SELF LEADERSHIP???
- Self-awareness: this is about knowing your intentions and values, as well as knowing what can ‘push your buttons’ and derail you.
- Self-confidence: This is about knowing your strengths and abilities. Being able to stand firm and being capable. It also entails showing courage and having a high level if self worth.
- Self-efficacy: This is having the belief that whatever comes our way; you have the innate capacity to handle it. It entails having faith in yourself and in your abilities. With self-efficacy you can be more creative and innovative.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO BECOMING A SELF-LEADER???
- Discover your personal values
- Clarify your personal vision
- Identify your strengths and your weaknesses
- Reflecting on your intention to achieve your focus: Always asking your self “why” you are doing anything is so critical to success and it helps you to find your purpose.
- Clarifying what you are responsible ‘for’ and what you are accountable to
- Becoming the author of the inner narrative of your own mind.
- Learning how to influence your thoughts for a higher purpose.
- Confidently taking action and seeking feedback
- Communicating authentically to achieve win/win
- Being mindful and managing your emotions
- Influencing through understanding the intentions of others
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND SELF-LEADERSHIP???
Leadership is the ability to influence people in order to get things done. Meanwhile, self-leadership is the ability to consciously influence your own thoughts and behaviour to fulfill your own objective.
There are many books on Leadership but few on self-leadership because influencing yourself to do something is much more difficult than influencing other people.
WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF SELF-LEADERSHIP???
- Self discover
- Self identity
- Self development
- Self direction
- Self talk
- Self awareness
- Self mastery
SOME IMPORTANT SELF-LEADERSHIP QUOTES:
“How we lead ourselves in life impacts how we lead those around us.”
― Michael Hyatt, Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want
“Everything you attract into your life is a reflection of the story you believe and keep telling yourself.”
― Farshad Asl
“If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit.”
― Oprah Winfrey
“Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”- ― Oprah Winfrey
“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
— Plato
Greek Philosopher
“A man without decision of character can never be said to belong to himself . . . . He belongs to whatever can make captive of him.”
— John Foster
Author
“Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself-and be lenient to everybody else.”
— Henry Ward Beecher
“Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”
— Mark Twain
“Rule your mind or it will rule you.”
— Horace
“Leaders who can stay optimistic and upbeat, even under intense pressure, radiate the positive feelings that create resonance. By staying in control of their feelings and impulses, they craft an environment of trust, comforts and fairness. And that self-management has a trickle down effect from the leader.
— Daniel Goleman, Primal Leadership
