Self-leadership determines your success or failure.
Self-leadership is the ultimate determinate of your success or failure in any endeavor you choose to pursue. If it is your plan to propel your business to the next level this year, it will be your own leadership in your own life that will get you there.
I understand we can’t always control what is put in front of us, but we can control how we choose to react and this is the most difficult part of leadership.
I’ve been there. I’ve gotten pulled down in the mud, but what I’ve realized is while I may have been pulled, tugged and coerced down, it was me who allowed myself to be pulled. I allowed someone else to lead me, to entice me, to guide me where I didn’t want to be. I realize that the fact remained that it was my choice to stay or move on, my choice to stay stuck or choose to move forward.
Once we can grasp and become truly aware that everything is ultimately in our control, we can begin to rise above, find solutions and reach our true potential. To take the steps necessary to bust through that obstacle, to take our business where we never even dreamed possible and even have the willingness to sacrifice what’s necessary to get there.
So HOW can we raise our level of leadership? Here are some simple tips that have worked for many others and myself.
1) Value Experience with Reflection – This is often the most difficult place to start, but it is essential. How will you truly learn from your experiences without consciously thinking about what you learned and how to go forward creating a different reality in the future?
2) Be Curious – “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”—Walt Disney Curious leaders stop having all the answers and start asking great questions. The curious leader sends a message of trust to the people they lead as they inquire about their insights and perspectives. You never know where that could take you and those around you.
3) Invest in Yourself – “I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.”—Abraham Lincoln The most valuable investment you can make is in your own growth as a person and, ultimately, a leader. The greatest leaders are the best learners. Read a book, go to a conference or even invest in a group study or leadership coach (I know one) so that you create more awareness of the actions to take in order to create the results you desire.
4) Be Willing to Sacrifice – Are you willing to do what it takes to get where you want? Not everyone succeeds at what they say they want because not everyone is willing to sacrifice what it would take to get there. Think about your past failures and ask yourself, “Did I sacrifice what was needed to achieve the result I said I wanted? What am I willing to stop doing to reach the goal?”
START WITH ONE
You don’t have to do all four things now, but you do need to at least be willing to start. You have the power – “You are the master of your fate, the captain of your own soul.” No one is going to do it for you. Take the initiative and become the leader you were always meant to be. Start with one of the four steps above and take that next step today.
