- Are you actively developing your confidence in who you are?
- Do you take ownership of what you do?
- Can you objectively assess situations and factors which appear like a ‘curve ball’?
- Are you intentional about where you are going?
Self-leadership, one of the biggest challenges for people today, is a process of consciously choosing your thoughts, which determine your feelings, which ultimately dictate your actions, which support you in achieving your personal and professional goals. It is a process of recognising and improving your own leadership, of having a developed sense of who you are, what you can do and where you are going.
In our world of work today, with such unpredictable change across multiple sectors, sadly, too many leaders believe they ‘don’t have time’ to develop or improve their leadership style. You cannot lead others if you cannot first lead yourself. As your employees need modern, people-led leadership, you as a leader need to be able to provide it! The first step is to recognise your own leadership style and then work on improving it! Know that it is the quality, spirit, and soul of your leadership which will both define and differentiate you.
To be the greatest, most fulsome version of you, to chart your ultimate destination and the steps you will take to arrive there, you need to revolutionise your thinking. This will result in your own transformation both as a person and as a leader. Develop a new mental image of yourself by repeating soul-led thoughts about your absolute purpose in life. Align these with your core values, the greatest beliefs you will ever hold, and repeat these thoughts continually until they become convictions. Your old thoughts, which have become old habits, will then no longer serve you.
The trend in leadership is to be less prescriptive, dictatorial, and egotistical, dealing more in truth and realism. Leading a diverse workforce including experienced seniors, Gen X, millennials and now Gen Z, is challenging, and you need to be on top of your game to succeed. The best work you will ever do is on yourself. Find your true authenticity, transform and influence yourself first, then your employees. Despite the hundreds of years of research on the various leadership characteristics and styles, there is no clear profile of an ideal leader. Your leadership will emerge from your life story, and this is what makes you unique. While we all have a thread of leadership in us, and have been tested through our real-world experiences, few of us take the time to truly understand the essence of who we are, what our natural gifts are, and how and where to use them to best effect.
To discover your authenticity and leadership style, revisit the story of your life and reframe your life experiences. The exercise below will help you to structure your memories and thoughts.
- List the most memorable and impactful personal and professional experiences in your life—both good and bad.
- Consider who benefited from these, how they benefited, and the role you played.
- Acknowledge and list the feelings you had in these roles when you became aware of the positive impact your actions had on others. Do not be modest; own your power and natural ability to influence and inspire for the greater good.
- Finally, list the key personality traits, characteristics, and leadership styles you exemplified.
On completion, note the trends and identify those experiences which made you feel completely fulfilled and expansive, which brought life to your being, and which made you want to do more of the same. Notice also those situations which sucked the life out of you, where you led people and projects but where you felt misaligned with your core values. This exercise will help you to reframe your life story and guide you towards living a more expansive leadership role.
Improving your leadership style starts with improving your self-leadership. This process sharpens your self-awareness — your ability to discern how your own emotions or personal biases may affect your decision-making. When you accurately recognize your own competencies and challenges, you can then create a better plan for reaching your desired outcome.
Self-leadership enables you to lead, in your professional and personal life, with more awareness and understanding, it provides you with the ability to create, improvise, innovate and adapt when and where required.
My Mastering Your Self-Leadership Mentoring Programme is designed to help you to do your inner work, to redefine your values, rebuild your self-esteem, self-worth etc. and to basically build a very strong internal foundation to support you in your self-leadership, in becoming more confident, assertive and strong to intentionally live the life you truly want.
To start your own self-leadership improvement journey, book a discovery call with me to find out more details about this in-demand mentoring programme. When you register your interest in the programme, you will be gifted my ebook Top 6 Nuggets on How To Master Your Self-Leadership.
