“Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.”
Richard Byrd
According to By Dr. John Ng, great leadership is a cultivated art. It begins with self- leadership. Because at the center of leadership is the person who, more than anything else makes the difference. Leadership success or failure begins with how the leader approaches self-leadership.
Key Points
Why is self-leadership so important? (Excerpt from John’s book “Dim Sum Leadership”)
Appreciating others. When you truly know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, you will appreciate others.
Preventing derailment. Many rising stars self-destruct, never achieve their early potential because of the lack of self-leadership. Daniel Goleman, in his extensive study on leadership derailment, points out, “When I compared star performers with average ones in senior leadership positions, nearly 90 per cent of the difference in their profiles was attributable to emotional intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities.”
Ensuring long-term success. Great leaders have a long-term perspective for life and success. They are not here for the short-term but for the long haul. Only leaders who practice consistent self-leadership can ensure long-term success. The temptation to push for quarterly profits at all costs can derail the leader.
Leaving a legacy. All leaders leave legacies, whether good or bad. They leave their imprint on the organization through their beliefs, values and attitudes. Therefore, effective self-leadership is essentially leaving a great legacy for the people we are leading.
Chris Lowney, in his book Heroic Leadership, writes, “If you want your team to perform heroically, be a hero yourself.”
There are four different aspects to self-leadership.
1. Self-awareness: The ability to acknowledge, understand and be conscious of one’s own values, perspectives, strengths, weaknesses, and leadership propensity and emotional needs.
2. Self-management: The ability to nurture and harness one’s own passion, abilities, emotions and leadership capacity in decision- making.
3. Other-awareness: The ability to acknowledge and recognize the passion, gifting, strengths, weaknesses, potential and needs of others.
4. Other-management: The ability to grow and motivate other people to develop their potential and/or fulfil the organization’s objectives.
Additional Reading
Dim Sum Leadership-Tips for Busy Executives by John Ng
Self-Leadership: How to Become a More Successful, Efficient, and Effective Leader from the
Inside Out by Andrew Bryant and Ana Lucia Kazan
Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell
Point of Reflection
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”
Aristotle