Self-Leadership

Based on “The Ultimate Leadership Task: Self-Leadership” by Richard J. Leider, in The Leader of the Future: New visions, Strategies, and Practices for the Next Era, F. Hesselbein, M. Goldsmith and R. Beckhard, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco,

1996

Look within ourselves for leadership guidance

“Know thyself” Thales “To thine own self be true” William

Shakespeare “You must be the change you wish to see in

the world” Mahatma Gandhi

Questions

In the context of real change, what responsibilities do leaders have to their followers?

How can they generate energy and encourage superior performance?

How can they develop effective relationships?

Answer

They can do it only through self-leadership

All change is self-change

People cannot be reengineered Individuals cannot be empowered by

organizations Leaders cannot empower people to be

innovative or courageous

People have difficulty coping with change

Organizations and leaders have discovered that “the soft stuff is the hard stuff” in creating real change, i.e. the human side of leading change is, as if not, more important than the technical or financial issues

Remember

All change is self-change and involves “the soft stuff”- it cannot be done in a nice and tidy manner

Self-change involves emotions and requires helping people to help themselves

Leaders must hear people with “that soft stuff” – their hearts

Listening is the core of the change process

Heart = hear and art

the core of leadership art

Remember

Change requires self-leadership Leaders must look within themselves to

decide what they want, what they value, and where they stand

Individual choice remains the key to creating high-performance teams – a great team cannot be build with a collection of passive members

Real change

Depends on the motivation and self-leadership of both leaders and followers

Everyone’s motivation and talents must be reignited to sustain any change effort

Support systems must be in place to use them effectively in the organization

YOU, Inc. : The new career reality

People work for themselves first and their organizations second in today’s reengineered organizations

They feel they don’t know where they belong anymore

Their work which they used to love becomes drudgery

They do twice as much but enjoy it half as much

They do not voice complaints because they feel vulnerable

They feel little loyalty to corporate authority yet want to contribute their talents

Leaders must recognize this shift to YOU, Inc. and build upon it

Requires a new “career covenant” where leaders develop followers and help them master their skills

Self-Leadership

The essence of leadership The core around which the new career

covenant is built Consists of personal purpose, values, vision,

and courage

Self-Leadership

Based on knowing yourself and seeking reliable counsel

Taking stock of your personal attributes that embrace or resist change

Without understanding the purpose that ignites them, the vision that motivates them to lead, the values that empower them, leaders cannot make courageous choices

Self-Leadership

The essence of all individual, team and organizational change

Visionary leadership demands courage Team unity means individual enrolment Organizational change demand self-change

Self-Leadership

The ultimate leadership challenge – a survival skill

Leaders

Must incorporate self-leadership through all the change philosophies, processes, programmes and tools

Must give adequate time and effort on self-leadership, and “walk their talk”

Must continually refer to their personal purpose, values, vision and courage

Twenty Tips for Self-Leadership

1. The quality and depth of leadership reflects in the relationships with colleagues and followers. Leaders

must be clear about their values since they reveal what they really are as leaders.

Tip Recognize your stress level and watch for signs –

forgetfulness, chronic fatigue, sleeplessness, appetite, increased cold, headaches or lower back pain, withdrawal from relationships or mood swings

Ask your family and friends if they notice changes in you

2. We do have choices and the willingness to exercise our choices is the source of leadership energy. We are

not powerless.

Tip Gain control where you can Look for areas where you can take charge Schedule time for exercise or to attend family events

3. Recognize our addictions to find out if we are true to our essence or living in a self-imposed prison, driven

by others’ or organization’s expectations.

Tip Balance your life style Think of other areas which you would like to develop

besides your work – your mind? body? spirit? Perfectionists, idealists or workaholics can never truly

please themselves

4. Real change comes from changing our mental maps; high energy comes from a clear and passionate

personal vision.

Tip Take a daily time off Allow at least 15 minutes a day to reflect on the big picture

and set or revise priorities according to it

5. Leadership assessment is best done on the basis of our own complete records of what we do rather than

anybody else’s partial, incomplete records.

Tip Do what you love We may burn up by doing what we love, but we will not

burn out or rust out Get career counselling You may need to reinvent your job

6. Take inventory of our leadership talents to profit in the future the lessons from the past.

Tip Examine your job Note everything you naturally love and everything you

intensely dislike doing at work Ask yourself honestly,”How much time do I spend doing

what I naturally love to do?” Then focus on your strengths and manage your weaknesses

7. Decide personally by which criteria we want our leadership legacy measured.

Tip Renew a relationship with a mentor or coach Ask yourself, “Who are my teachers today?” ”Who is the

first person I would call for leadership advice?”

8. Reinventing ourselves is a lifelong and continuous learning process; we must be comfortable with the

reality that satisfaction always lead to dissatisfaction.

Tip Challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone Pursue a non-leadership role in a professional or community

organization Undertake a new learning experience outside of your

element Risk and challenge can recharge your batteries

9. Establish solid support systems that can carry us through the vagaries of change.

Tip Who are the people whose wisdom and personal counsel

you value? Who would you select to sit on the advisory team for your

personal life work and leadership?

10. Take risks to initiate courageous conversations that will keep us in honest and creative face-to-face

dialogue with our colleagues and followers.

Tip Quit doing something Do not overcommit yourself Saying no and meaning it will reduce your stress and give

you a sense of control Stop participating in one committee or assignment

11. Develop a personal Plan B before successfully achieving Plan A

Tip Design a written Plan B What would you do if you lose your job tomorrow and had

for look for customers? What exactly would you do that people would pay money

for?

12. Do not play “victim” to external forces; take control of your calendars.

Tip Picture your ideal week and sketch it out What does it look like? “Would you sacrifice a day’s pay for an extra day off each

week?”

13. First make the important life decisions that are the raw materials of career decisions.

Tip Schedule a “heart check up” When was the last time you had a “life priorities”

conversations? Think about your friendships When was the last time you asked someone how he or she

was and stopped long enough to hear the answer? Do you and your partner talk?

14. Blend your priorities and trade-offs in our personal life and work are you risk wasting the most valuable

currency – time.

Tip Envision yourself ten years from now Discuss your ideal career and life scenario with someone

close to you

15. Having a clear sense of personal purpose creates success with fulfilment; a written personal purpose

reduces anxiety in times of change

Tip Ask the big question, i.e., life’s purpose “Why do I get up in the morning?”

16. Live with clear intention and make consistent contact with a higher power greater than ourselves.

Tip Find a listening point Figure out what we want to be first instead of spending a lot

of time running around trying to figure out what to do Take regular spirit breaks Give you spiritual core space to grow

17. Leading from a clear, personal sense of purpose creates courage; real courage attracts real followers.

Tip How we spend our time defines how we live and lead Are you spending time with the courageous “change

champions” in your organization? Do your meeting agendas allow time for “courageous

conversations”?

18. The key to high performance is integrity – doing little things consistently. Leadership integrity is built

or destroyed by small day-to-day things that becomes a pattern.

Tip Practice stress management techniques One simple technique – leave 15 minutes early for an

appointment so that you won’t have to rush

19. Overstress comes mainly from reactive living; stress can break us down or it can energize us; the

difference is in how we perceive it.

Tip Self-leadership is self-care Be honest with yourself How healthy are you? Do you have the energy and vitality you need? Schedule a physical check up soon

20. People are attracted to what is celebrated; celebrate the many faces of celebration.

Tip Lighten up And find your smile if you have lost it Notice the “baby steps” toward change by phoning,writing

notes and affirming your progress all year long