Be a Better Self-Leader So You Can Lead Others Better
As a mental performance coach, one of the most impactful sets of skills I help people create is self-leadership. This means taking ownership over self, which translates into how you show up in the world. In a nutshell, this skill set enhances your self-awareness, which impacts both your self-efficacy and performance at work and on the field (Prussia et al, 1998).
When I work on self-leadership with my clients, I am really good at pointing out where growth is needed. Equally, where self-leadership is present. Both are important to a well-rounded leader. Over time my clients learn to find growth areas and strengths on their own.
Self-leadership is crucial to being the effective leader that you, your team, and your company need. We focus on continued personal growth, intentional self-awareness, and leading by example. These skills help you bring out the best in yourself and those around you.
Why Is Self-Leadership Important?
Self-leadership improves your performance, personal growth, and leadership of others. By creating a clearer mind, you improve your innovation and decision-making skills (Carmeli et al, 2006). When you engage in self-leadership, you know your values and can find the path that aligns with those values.
There is a trickle-down effect. As you improve in leading yourself, you become more productive. The quality of your leadership style and work improves. The people you lead will better themselves as well.
Self-leadership increases emotional intelligence. This allows you to empathize with the people you lead and create a more positive work environment (Browning, 2018). Mature emotional intelligence helps you face adversity and change – including failure – in a healthy way. You lead sustainably so you avoid burnout and the mistakes that can come from it.
What is Self-leadership?
When you lead yourself first, you become the leader you want to be. If you look at it this way, self-leadership starts with self-awareness. It’s important to know yourself deeply so that your choices are conscious and you can lead authentically.
Deeper self-knowledge includes learning who you are. It means learning your strengths, weaknesses, values, triggers, and abilities. It is accurately understanding who you are right now and who you want to be (Browning, 2018). Self-awareness includes honoring yourself by knowing and meeting your physical and emotional needs. (For example, self-care through exercise, communication, and the ability to regulate yourself.)
Healthy people take accountability for themselves and their actions. You do this by acknowledging mistakes, taking responsibility for the consequences, and growing from the experience. Accountability also means being the change you want to see in the world (Browning, 2018).
Adaptability is a big part of success. This means you are willing to embrace change as it comes. You need to be open to new ideas. It's important to be ready to examine your previous beliefs and assumptions (especially when faced with alternative proof). Self-reflection and seeking feedback from others is a part of knowing yourself deeply. Adaptability means making changes based on quality feedback and self-reflection.
Self-leaders use goal setting to improve their personal performance and leadership style (Browning, 2018). You do this by setting goals regularly and then breaking them down into actionable steps. You internally build a strong drive and motivation to meet these goals, especially by rejecting pessimism (Browning, 2018). Monitor and show commitment to your vision through your actions. Let your enthusiasm and dedication to achieving these goals shine because it inspires others to work toward the same.
Leading Self in Practice
In practice, self-leadership is taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and feelings. It is consistently taking steps toward your personal and professional goals. Self-leaders do what they can to maintain focus, motivation, and growth. This is what self-leadership looks like in practice:
Managing Your Own Life
Use management skills both personally and professionally. Set clear, specific goals that are achievable and time-sensitive. Maintain awareness of your goals and manage your time wisely. On a daily basis, ensure that you can identify your priorities based on importance and urgency. You create a plan to work on these priorities so that you are making progress toward your goals. You deliberately avoid procrastination and take initiative without waiting for instructions. You look for ways to work toward your goals and the goals of the organization as a whole.
Engaging in Healthy Emotional Behaviors
Practice emotionally healthy behaviors on purpose. You use and develop the skills to maintain a positive mindset and regulate your emotions. Engaging in positive self-talk and encouraging yourself and others to stay optimistic even when things are challenging. This likely means you are aware of your emotions and regulate them when needed. By doing this, you respond thoughtfully and make rational decisions instead of emotional ones. Part of emotional regulation means that you prioritize self-care and stress management, knowing that this makes it easier to maintain a strong mindset. You care for yourself by exercising, practicing mindfulness, and participating in hobbies to maintain balance and reduce stress,. Putting these in motion will unleash your ability to regulate yourself well.
Developing Skills to Cope With Adversity
You purposely develop the skills that are most helpful in times of challenge and stress, including flexibility, adaptability, and resilience. These skills help you handle obstacles and adversity in a way that embraces change and allows it to be an opportunity for growth and learning. These skills allow you to bounce back from challenges and become stronger because of them.
Engaging in a Growth Mindset
You regularly look for opportunities for growth. This includes continuous self-improvement, and you seek out opportunities for learning through coaching, reading, and workshops (to name a few). You seek out growth opportunities through interactions with others by seeking feedback. By engaging in regular self-inventory, you take responsibility for the things that go well and those that don’t. You identify mistakes and seek out ways to improve and learn from them. You give yourself and others credit when something has gone well.
Focusing on People
Building relationships and communicating effectively is important. You actively listen, express ideas clearly, show empathy, and provide constructive feedback. You also nurture positive relationships and prioritize connections. You model the behaviors you want to see in others and exhibit consistency, integrity, and dedication to inspire those around you, whether that’s reciprocated or not.
As you can see, self-leadership takes commitment and daily work. It will make a major impact on your life; not just your quality of life but your ability to perform consistently.
Self-Leadership Success Story
I worked with an athlete who was struggling with leading himself. He didn’t speak up when things bothered him. He wasn’t collaborating with coaches/managers/trainers. He listened respectfully but he wasn’t coachable. He was internally exploding with anger when things didn’t go his way. His inability to recognize what was happening and his lack of skill in regulating his emotions were affecting his consistency. He was not, therefore, trending toward his potential. This was a major blind spot for him. We all have them, which is why having someone like me in your life is important.
In our work together, we healed wounds, unpacked old relationships, his past struggles, and how those formed his internal narrative/core beliefs. Because of the work we did and continue to build from, he is making the strides he wants. His confidence is better than ever.
But this didn’t happen overnight.
Together, we worked on learning to tune inwards and healthier ways to respond to others. He now advocates for himself, takes initiative, and leads his own processes as things come up. He does not wait for others to tell him what to do. He actively engages and collaborates with coaches and trainers towards his goals. He is embodying a more mature athlete. He has the tools to regulate his emotions. The explosive outbursts are not as prevalent as he continues to do the work. He understands it will be constant work and is becoming a person he respects.
Self-leadership is not a one-time event or short-term focus. It is a continuous, life-long process. This process involves setting goals, maintaining a positive attitude, and taking ownership of your actions and emotions every day. By making these a daily routine, you can effectively lead yourself and, in turn, others.
I love helping people develop a healthy frame of mind for success in life, including self-leadership. Let’s schedule a call and discuss what that could look like for you. Click here to book a free consultation call today, and let’s go from there. I look forward to our conversation.
Thank you for reading! I trust it was helpful.
References
Prussia, G.E., Andersen, J.S., Manz, C.C. (1998), Self-Leadership and Performance Outcomes: The Mediating Influence of Self-Efficacy. Journal of Organizational Behavior.
Browning, M. (2018), Self-Leadership: Why it Matters, International Journal of Business and Social Science.
Carmeli. A., Meitar, R., Weisberg, j. (2006), Self-Leadership Skills and Innovative Behavior at Work, International Journal of Manpower.