Awaken The Leader Within

Have you ever had one of those moments, where you are becoming aware of where you came from? I’m talking about the path behind you, all the crossroads you’ve encountered and decisions you’ve made. I’m talking about all the victories, challenges and adversities you’ve had and how they shaped you in your character and personality. Ultimately, what you live by is who you become. 

I’ve never considered myself as a leader, until someone recently reflected back at me the story, I told them about my life’s journey thus far. I’ll spare you the details, but in a nut shell, most of my life I had to learn how to deal with a body that didn’t function as it should. Consequently, feelings of uncertainty, fear and doubt arose and throughout the decades that followed, I both had to fight for physical survival and mastering my emotions as well as trying to fit in and not become a social hermit or laughingstock. 

During my journey, I faced moments of despair and depression, but there always was a sparkle of hope at the end of the proverbial end of the tunnel. Whether it was getting out of a coma or out of a relationship, getting canned or going blind – there always came a time where to inner drive to change and move forward became greater than the pain of staying in the same situation and the fear of the unknown.

In the corporate world, most of us aren’t trained to lead others. We grow into the role by experience, getting an increasing amount of responsibility and accountability of the way. Being a leader sounds awesome on paper, but in reality, it also has its challenges. Sure, you get all the money and the perks, but when a team performs well, all the credit goes to them. And when things go wrong, all the responsibility is on you. Leading others is a skill. And in order to lead others, we should start by leading ourselves. Being a leader for others means being a leader for yourself first. But what does that really mean?

Why Personal Leadership Is Crucial for Leadership in General:

Personal leadership is the foundation of being a leader anywhere else. You can’t lead anybody else if you can’t lead yourself; that’s called leading by example. Here are five more in-depth aspects of why your personal leadership is crucial in any other leadership position.

1. Self-Awareness and Authenticity

Personal leadership begins with self-awareness. Exploring and understanding your values, strengths, weaknesses and motivations. Any authentic leader who embraces their true self inspires trust and loyalty in others. Leaders who are not self-aware are likely to struggle to connect with their teams and lack the authenticity that effective leadership requires. Self-awareness is more than doing a test online. It’s having the balls to face yourself in the mirror and see how you’re hiding from yourself out of fear of rejection or not belonging. Self-awareness means you know what you stand for and aren’t afraid to live it outside of your living room. 

2. Emotional Intelligence

Personal leadership includes the development of emotional intelligence, too, which is vital for understanding and managing emotions in yourself and others. Emotionally intelligent leaders can navigate complex interpersonal situations, resolve conflicts, and motivate their teams effectively. To be emotionally intelligent also means you have to learn how to master your own emotions. Learning from adversity from your own life and finding ways to transform challenges into strengths is a consequence of knowing that the only thing we can control is how we respond to events around us. 

3. Resilience and Adaptability

Personal leadership fosters resilience and adaptability, as you learn to overcome setbacks and adapt to change. Resilient leaders can weather challenges, maintain a positive attitude, and inspire their teams during difficult times. As I stated in the previous point, we all will deal with adversity, and it’s key to integrate what we learn from it, rather than to keep the experience as a have ball chained to our leg. By using the unavoidable challenges, you face to your advantage, you can draw from experience when you lead others in times of crisis, change and challenge.

4. Self-Discipline and Accountability

Personal leadership emphasizes self-discipline, which is essential for setting and achieving goals in both personal and professional environments. Accountable leaders set the standard for their teams and promote a culture of responsibility. Nothing ever happens to you, but rather, for you. Strengthen your ability to respond and be accountable for who and where you are right now, so you can help yourself and others move forward – even despite setbacks or unexpected turnarounds. 

5. Goal Setting and Vision

Personal leadership encourages us to define our personal and professional goals and develop a vision for our lives. Leaders with a clear sense of purpose can inspire others by sharing their vision and motivating their teams to work toward common goals. Like the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland said after being asked which way Alice should go and the cat responded with: ”That depends where you want to go.” Alice’s answer reveals her lack of vision; “I don’t much care where.”, to which the Cheshire cat replies “Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.” A vision is the driver for intrinsic motivation and the strive to keep on getting better. Whether it’s for yourself or for your team or even for the entire organization, a vision is crucial for personal and professional growth.

Bridging the Gap Between Personal Leadership and Leadership in the Corporate World

How that you know the importance of personal leadership as a foundation for any kind of leadership, let’s dive into the nooks and crannies of how to transfer what you can use in your personal leadership life to your corporate leadership one. 

1. Develop a Personal Leadership Plan

After first creating one for yourself, start encouraging those you lead to create a personal leadership development plan. This plan should include goals, strategies, and a timeline for enhancing their personal leadership skills. Again: lead by example and help, guide and support where this is needed. 

2. Training and Self-Improvement

You know this for a fact: improving yourself and your skills to become a better leader is never-ending. There’s always a next level of success and fulfillment to move to. It’s good to promote the idea that continuous learning is essential. Encourage others to seek out training, courses, workshops, or coaching to enhance their personal leadership skills. The more you get out of yourself, the more you can inspire others and the more you can help them get more out of themselves. 

3. Practice Empathy and Active Listening

In the corporate world, leaders need to connect with diverse teams. Encourage leaders to practice empathy and active listening to understand the needs and concerns of their team members. Empathy goes hand in hand with compassion, without crossing the line into sympathy. Though the corporate world may be fast-paced, investing a couple of minutes now will save you weeks or months in the long run. 

4. Lead by Example

I’ve said it in the beginning of this article. Highlight the importance of leading by example in the corporate world. You want co-workers to follow you as you do, not as you say. Leaders must exhibit the qualities and behaviors they want to see in their team members. This is one of the key reasons why personal leadership is so important in any executive leadership role. 

5. Communicate Effectively

Effective communication is vital in leadership. Motivate leaders to develop their communication skills, including clear and concise messaging and active communication with their teams. There are countless of communication techniques and methodologies. Maintain a growth mindset and keep an eye on anything you don’t know yet when it comes to communication skills. It’s also smart to revive any skills you think you know but don’t actually use in your work. 

6. Mentoring and Coaching

If you’re a leader, don’t be afraid to take some high potentials under your wing by mentoring them. Virtually all high performers work with mentors or coaches who can provide guidance and feedback to support their personal and professional leadership journey and sharpen their skills. I had my first coach well over 20 years ago and I’m still working with one today. I never would’ve come as far as I am now if I hadn’t made the decision to work with coaches and mentors. 

7. Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Emphasize the value of a growth mindset, where people view challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. A challenge is, when reframed, nothing else than an opportunity, and an opportunity is simply stated a chance to improve. This slight change in looking at things changed my personal life from being overwhelmed and despaired to strengthening my values, core beliefs and self-esteem. Despite all my personal problems, or perhaps it’s because of them, I learned how to adopt a growth mindset and teach others how to do so, too. Resilience and adaptability are core attributes of personal leadership.

8. Team Building and Collaboration

In the corporate world, leaders work almost always within a team. Leaders should understand the dynamics of teamwork, foster collaboration, and support team members in their personal leadership growth. If you understand synergy, you know it’s a no-brainer to have people collaborating, whether it’s for the greater cause or for themselves. The sum of the total exceeds the sum of the individual parts. That’s synergy!

9. Set Corporate Values

Leaders who define and communicate the organization's values pave the way to a win-win situation for both the organization as well as their workers. Aligning personal values with corporate values can help leaders foster a sense of purpose and authenticity. Doing so can contribute in a higher level of job satisfaction, better performance and a decrease of absence, burn-out or outflow. 

10. Measure and Reflect

In my job as a coach, I frequently encourage leaders to periodically assess their personal leadership growth and adjust their strategies as needed. This helps them to stay on track with their mission and purpose as well as their goals and vision. Taking time for self-reflection will help you to stay on top of your own life – this will benefit your personal life as much as it will your professional life. 

I hope you’ll have a comprehensive understanding of why personal leadership is crucial for leadership in general and how you can bridge the gap between personal leadership and leadership in the corporate world. This will offer practical guidance for you on your leadership journey.

To your success, 

Robert

If you want to improve your personal or professional leadership skills, consider working with me as your executive leadership coach. Click here to book your free Awaken the Leader Within coaching session. 

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