There are several courses on leadership. In fact when I conducted a Google search for the term “leadership training,” I noticed that over 23 million searches had been made for that term. The term “Self leadership training” had about 4 million searches conducted on it. Searches for both terms are obviously very high. However which one do you think is most important? Obtaining a level of mastery in leading ones self is most important if you ever desire to lead others.
It is often said that “if you cannot lead your self you can’t lead anyone else.” I certainly believe this to be true. Have you ever worked for a business owner or supervisor who was always late or in a hurry, never seemed to complete task on time even though he created the deadline, his desk was a train wreck, his life was filled with drama, and he never seemed quite clear about what he wanted you to do?
This is a perfect example of someone in a leadership position who has yet to master self-leadership. If this sounds like you and you’d like things to be different I’d recommend hiring a personal or business coach that can assist you in clarifying your goals and managing your life. Sometimes it requires an outsider to help you see what’s happening on the inside.
Self-leadership is important because it ensures that you materialize your goals and most importantly that you build self confidence. When you feel confident about being able to master your own life you exude confident positive energy. People intuitively pick up on this confidence and will unconsciously look to you for leadership. We love to be around leaders that are confident. Confidence and certainty about oneself is like a magical spell. It always draws people in.
If you think I’m kidding, watch for yourself.
The next time you attend a powerful presentation about any topic, watch how many people flock around the “leader” /presenter after he or she completes their presentation (even if the attendee has absolutely nothing of importance to say). Especially if the speaker has written a book.
People can’t help but admire and respect someone that has applied discipline to their life to accomplish a goal. We reward self-leaders this by giving of our time, talent, and treasure. Just take a look at how much we pay entertainers, sports stars, and great salespeople.
The old saying that respect must be earn is indeed true. The price we pay for this respect is self-leadership.
