When we lead others, we focus a lot of our attention on external factors. We consider processes, outcomes, performance, communication and people. Our goal is to shape and influence these external factors in order to achieve the goal and objectives for the team. But when our focus is continually directed outward, when do we take the time to focus on self – our own self-leadership.
Self-Leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and actions towards your objectives. (Bryant and Kazan 2012)
There have been many leaders who have spoken about self-leadership as a key skill. Charles Manz was the first to use the term “Self-Leadership in 1983 and defined it as; “a comprehensive self-influence perspective that concerns leading oneself”. Peter Drucker (2010) then explained that being a Self-leader is to serve as chief, captain, or CEO of one’s own life. Brian Tracy talks about setting a goal and taking full responsibility for that goal.
So, in other words, self-leadership is about self-mastery. It is our opportunity to not only survive but to thrive in a VUCA landscape where volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity is the new norm.
What is Self-Leadership?
We all have the potential to be self-leaders, but not all of us are effective at this crucial skill. The good news is that we all have the capacity to develop self-leadership.
When we lead ourselves, we are basically aware of our “inner game. Timothy Gallwey in his “Inner Game” series of books proposed the following equation:
Performance= Potential - Interference.
Basically – if we are going to maximise our performance, then we have to have the ability to tap into our full potential and minimise the interference in the way of us reaching our full potential. Realistically if this equation holds true, then if we remove all our interference, then all that is left is our true performance which equals our performance.
So, if we are going to gain mastery and develop the “inner game” of intention and develop our self-awareness, self-confidence, self-efficacy (self-belief) then we need to take dedicated action toward achieving these goals.
Consider your mastery in these pillars of self-leadership:
Intention: Having a clear purpose or understanding your “why” often proceeds any purposeful action – in other words the “what” and the “how”. Our actions need to have intent. Do you know what gets you out of bed in the morning?
Self-Awareness: is about knowing who you are - your intent, your values as well as understanding the traits that can undermine you and interfere with your performance. At our core, we all have a set of beliefs and values that make us who we are. In a nutshell, your values guide your approach to life and relationships, and discovering them and uncovering what makes you tick can reveal some surprising things. Being the best self-leader means identifying what these values are and then living and leading in accordance with them.
Self-Acceptance: is about being completely honest with yourself and accepting yourself without self-criticism or self-sabotage. As a default position, we focus on the negatives about ourselves. Our brain is hardwired that way. Self-acceptance is about recognising when things aren’t going the way you’d like, understanding your part in that and then accepting it. You can recognise where you could do things better without beating yourself up for not already being perfect.
Self-Management – It is not enough to have self-awareness; we also have to then manage that which we are aware of. Leaders who can self-manage are more productive, more focused and more able to work independently. Self-management and self-discipline are closely linked. It involves holding yourself accountable and ensuring you manage your time and resources effectively.
Mental Toughness: is seen as a reservoir of personal resources that enables an individual to produce consistently high levels of performance or goal attainment despite the everyday challenges and adversities they are faced with. How are you enhancing your capacity to control your emotions, commit to dedicated action, see challenges as opportunities rather than threats and have the confidence to manage adversity.
Self Confidence and Self Efficacy – do you have the belief that you can handle what comes your way and recognise your individual strengths so that you can use your own personal creativity to enhance your capacity to manage issues.
Personal Influence - Influence is the result of purposeful action. How do we take this action to positively influence ourselves and the world around us to make positive changes for ourselves and others.
Self-Growth - Self-Leadership is also about recognising the importance of our personal growth and understanding that we never stop growing or stop having the potential to grow. It’s about recognising what you’re doing, what is and isn’t working, and how you can make positive changes. Self-growth is about striving to continuously improve yourself. It requires being open to feedback and creating a development plan to keep you accountable and on track. Committing to self-growth can make a positive impact in your career and helps you to lead by example for those around you.
To harness the power of self-growth, you need a passion for learning and a sense of curiosity. Great self-leaders are curious, always asking questions and learning about their industry and themselves. Curiosity helps you close any acknowledge gaps and also inspires you to find new ways to solve old problems.
So how would you rate yourself against these pillars of self-leadership?
What strategies could you implement to start or continue your journey?
Want to know more about getting enhancing your capacity for self-leadership? Send me an email at michelle@bakjacconsulting.com to enquire about coaching to build your personal strategies.
Michelle Bakjac is an experienced Psychologist, Organisational Consultant, Coach, Speaker and Facilitator. As Director of Bakjac Consulting, she is a credentialed Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a member of Mental Toughness Partners and an MTQ48 accredited Mental Toughness practitioner.
Michelle assists individuals and organisations to develop their Mental Toughness to improve performance, leadership, behaviour and wellbeing.
You can find her at www.bakjacconsulting.com or michelle@bakjacconsulting.com
