Lead Thyself

When we talk about leadership, most people assume it’s about leading others—motivating, inspiring, driving outcomes, creating impact. While that’s all well and good, leading others is an outcome of much more important work: the work you do on yourself as a leader. You are only capable of leading others to the level that you effectively lead yourself. If you want to be an effective leader, the first place to start is with yourself.

Leading yourself isn’t easy and starts with awareness. The challenge is that 95% of us think we’re self-aware, but only 10-15% really are. Being self-aware is really just the ability to see ourselves clearly—to understand who we are, how others see us, and how we fit into the world. It’s understanding our own thoughts, feelings, values, beliefs, and actions. Sounds easy, but for most, this can be difficult—we all have blind spots.

If you’re totally honest with yourself, how self-aware do you think you are? Have fun and score yourself on a scale of 1-10. I’d like to think I’m an 8 or better—I’ve done a lot of inner work, but if I’m honest, I’m probably closer to a 6.5 or 7. I don’t always appreciate how I come across to others, and sometimes my intention and impact are misaligned.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a new or seasoned leader, self-awareness is a journey, an exploration within to objectively examine your “operating system” and look for ways to improve. Leadership is a journey, and like all things, begins with the first step.