Learning to lead yourself is one of the most important things you will ever do as a leader. Leading yourself means that you hold yourself to a higher standard of accountability than others do.
The "Mirror Principle"--The first person we must examine ourselves. If we don't look at ourselves realistically, you will never understand where your personal difficulties are coming from. I will be honest, sometimes when I look in the mirror the image is often hard to take. I have developed as a leader over the last 15 years and I can see different images, at different times, on my journey in leadership.
Most people use two different sets of criteria for judging themselves and judging others. We tend to judge others according to their actions. A great example of this is the virtual world of facebook we live in. Actions on facebook rarely give people life consequences. Often a post can truly hurt real feelings not to mention break up marriages. It's very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, we let ourselves off the hook if we believe our intentions are good. That's part of the reason we allow ourselves to make the same mistakes over and over again before we are willing to make real changes.
Here are a few keys to follow...
1. Learn Followership--learn to obey. Only a leader who has followed well knows how to lead others.
2. Develop Self-Discipline--It's said one day, that Frederick the Great of Prussia was walking on the outskirts of Berlin when he encountered an old man walking down the street in the opposite direction.
"Who are you?" Frederick asked the old man.
"I am a king", replied the old man.
"A king!" laughed Frederick. "Over what kingdom do you reign?"
"Over myself," was the proud man's reply.
Each of us is a monarch over our own lives. We are responsible for ruling out actions and decisions.
3. Practice Patience
Leadership isn't to cross the finish the finish line first; it's to take people across the finish line with you.
In which of the 3 preceding areas--followership, self-discipline, or patience--do you most need to grow? What new tasks or practice could you take on to develop in that area? Give yourself a concrete goal and a deadline.
4. Seek Accountability
Accountability isn't just the willingness to explain your actions to others. It begins ling before we act. It starts with seeking and accepting advice from others.
Leading yourself means that you hold yourself to a higher standard of accountability than others do. Leadership is a trust, not a right. For that reason, you must "fix" yourself earlier than others may be required to.Thomas Watson--"Nothing so conclusively proves a man's ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself." What leaders do day-to-day always pays off in the long run. Success or failure isn't an event, but a process.
Just like this mirror is reflecting the light of a chandelier, I only hope my light shines brightly as a leader. As for facebook, Mirror mirror on the wall, is your post the greatest one of all? Don't judge others actions without judging your own intentions....
