Self-Leadership

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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?

4. Answer • They can do it only through self-leadership

5. All change is self-change • People cannot be reengineered • Individuals cannot be empowered by organizations • Leaders cannot empower people to be innovative or courageous They have to do it themselves

6. 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

7. 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

8. Heart = hear and art the core of leadership art

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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 YOU, Inc. : The new career reality

12. Self-Leadership • The essence of leadership • The core around which the new career covenant is built • Consists of personal purpose, values, vision, and courage

13. 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

14. 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

15. Self-Leadership • The ultimate leadership challenge – a survival skill

16. 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

17. Twenty Tips for Self-Leadership

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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?”

25. 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

26. 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?

27. 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

28. 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?

29. 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?”

30. 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?

31. 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

32. 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?”

33. 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

34. 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”?

35. 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

36. 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

37. 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