The smallest crowd you will ever
lead is you—but it’s the most important one. If you do that well, then you will
earn the right to lead even bigger crowds. Leading yourself well means that you
hold yourself to a higher standard of accountability than others do. Leadership
is a trust, not a right.For that reason, you must “fix” yourself earlier
than others may be required to.
Dr. John C Maxwell, world famous
speaker and bestselling author stated, “to lead others, first lead yourself”.
Learning to lead yourself well is one of the most important things you’ll ever
do as a leader. Most people use two totally different sets of criteria for
judging themselves and judging others. We tend to judge others according to their
actions. It’s very cut-and-dried. However, we judge ourselves by our
intentions. Even if we do the wrong thing, we let ourselves off the hook if we
believe our intentions are good. That’s part of the reason we allow ourselves
to make the same mistakes over and over again before we are willing to make
real changes.
Retired Brig. Gen. Rebecca Halstead,
the first female West Point graduate to be promoted to general of US Army says,
"The first person you lead is yourself. If you have to remind people that
you are the leader, you're not." According to Gen Halstead, leaders need
to train their brains to do difficult things, such as getting
up to go running when they would rather sleep. They need to be physically,
spiritually, emotionally and mentally fit to think forward.
Thomas J. Watson, the former
chairman of IBM, said, “Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead
others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” Leaders receive very
little fanfare for quietly leading themselves well day in and day out. Most
people are unaware of the disciplines their leaders practice or the sacrifices
they make outside of the spotlight. However, they don’t do it for
recognition; they do it for results. What leaders do day-to-day
always pays off in the long run. Success or failure isn’t an
event, but a process.
Kind regards,
Saju Skaria
