The Leadership Handbook Ch 2

Leading Yourself: The Toughest Challenge

• Leading yourself is the greatest challenge for any leader, even historical figures like David, Washington, and Churchill, who despite their accomplishments, struggled with self-leadership.
• Personal struggles often manifest as leadership crises; the author experienced four such crises, all stemming from their own shortcomings.

Leadership Crises and Their Causes

• 1970: Lack of prioritization and focus, mistaking activity for accomplishment led to organizational directionlessness.
• 1979: Uncertainty and personal changes, resulting in a loss of focus, vision, and energy. This highlighted the critical link between personal well-being and effective leadership.
• 1991: Overload and a desire for shortcuts caused poor decision-making and a resulting erosion of trust. Impatience with those questioning decisions magnified the problem.
• 2001: Unwillingness to make difficult decisions created financial and personnel losses.

Why We Struggle to Lead Ourselves

• Inability to see ourselves objectively: We are often blind to our flaws, and this prevents effective self-assessment for self-improvement.
• Harsh self-judgment compared to others: We judge our intentions, not actions, whereas others are judged solely based on actions. This creates a disconnect between personal assessment and the required external perception.

Keys to Leading Yourself

• Mastering Followership: Understanding those you lead involves walking a mile in their shoes; experience as a follower is vital for effective leadership. A lack of past followership leads to arrogance, rigidity, and autocracy.
• Developing Self-Discipline: Self-discipline is crucial for making sound decisions and choosing the right path. This involves controlling actions, resisting temptation, and overcoming self-defeating behaviors.
• Practicing Patience: Instant results aren't how leadership unfolds; building lasting leadership is like a crock-pot recipe taking time for growth and maturity. Leaders need to stay connected to their people, and progress at a sustainable pace.
• Seeking Accountability: Leaders need external accountability beyond themselves to avoid manipulation and ethically unsound choices. This includes actively seeking advice and feedback to avoid blind spots. External accountability can help stay on track and earn respect as a leader.

Practical Application & Strategies

• Self-Assessment: Regularly review personal goals and objectively analyze achievements to gain a better understanding. Seek feedback from trusted people regarding your perceived effectiveness.
• Growth Areas: Develop self-discipline, followership, or patience based on personal shortcomings to support continued improvement.
• Seeking Advice: Actively seek advice before taking action to avoid making errors and ensure effective leadership; understanding the different levels of advising helps assess the need for improvement.

Mentoring and Support

• Leaders must constructively assess and support their mentees in improving their ability to lead themselves well, demonstrating effective mentorship and showing initiative.

Explore the critical importance of self-leadership through the lens of historical figures and personal crises. This quiz delves into how personal struggles can affect leadership effectiveness and the necessity of prioritization and focus. Learn about the leadership crises experienced over decades and the lessons they teach us.