Mastering leadership of self is a never-ending process. It is a practice, like yoga, where the practice is the point. The best way to learn is to teach, and this morning was an example of that. I put together a deck of slides to do a guest speaking slot for a leadership class at Elizabethtown College. One of the slides in particular gave me pause to look in the mirror, figuratively speaking. "Leadership of self precedes leadership of others."
Leadership principles apply whether you are inside a workplace or outside with family, friends, and community. You are not two separate people who live in adjacent apartments - the work you and the personal you. Self-leadership flows throughout your 24-hour clock.
Here are the ingredients shared with the class:
Purpose:
Pages and pages have been written on the subject of purpose, but we'll narrow it down here. Your purpose is your really big reason for doing what you do. It's the big umbrella, the impact that you want to have on the world, or the manner in which you deeply desire to manifest your talents. When you are aligned with your purpose you find reserves of energy and motivation. Work feels like play.
Vision:
Your vision gives your purpose a direction, a focus. It's the Point B that you see as your destination while you are standing on Point A. If your vision is fuzzy it's not as motivating as is one that has been clearly defined, crystallized. When you know what you want, you find a pathway, even when one is not immediately revealing itself to you. A compelling vision drives you to overcome obstacles and explore alternatives that will help you get there.
Values:
Your values are your guiding principles, your code of conduct, your rules of engagement. Without values you would be subject to the lure of expediency and the temptation of inconsistency. Values, together with vision, help you to sort certain behaviors out and include other behaviors in. Although your values are held internally, you reveal them to yourself and others through your language and behavior. Language choices matter. Actions matter. You know that you are speaking or acting out of alignment with your values when you have an uncomfortable feeling in your gut.
Accountability:
Leaders follow through on their word. Leaders make commitments, and every time they do so they create an opportunity to be accountable. When you do what you say you are going to do, you build trust. Even when you commit to do something that is not popular, your accountability for follow-through builds that trust. Your word is your bond - after you demonstrate that it is so.
How are you doing in your own leadership journey? Are you happy with the results you have achieved? Are you confident that you are living in alignment with your purpose, your vision, and your values? Proactive Leadership coaches work with leaders every day who are on the journey to self-mastery. Please reach out if you want to gain more clarity and better alignment - at work or at home.
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