Success lies within leading yourself well. It begins with you understanding who you are, identifying where you’re going. Being intentional about learning how you process information and experiences, the underlying motive as to what informs your behaviour, what pushes you or propels you to do certain things or how you respond a certain way.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
It is tricky when you are going to want to influence others when you have not influenced yourself first.
This is where extreme ownership comes in. When someone is a leader, they need total extreme ownership of their drives and impulses.
You take extreme ownership of everything that happens as a leader, whether the results are positive or negative.
You understand that; it is your leadership that has contributed to what is happening.
This is where you become intentional as a leader because when you start with yourself, it gives you experience, because it’s easier to replicate it to the next person when you’ve got experience leading yourself.
It’s easier for you to help the next person when you’ve got experience helping yourself.
Not only does it give you experience, it also gives you confidence.
“There’s nothing as beautiful as a leader who is confident in their own skin, confident in their leadership, confident in how they’ve lead or how they continue to lead themselves.”
Mzwandile Magagula
This makes your leadership more impactful because you replicate who you are beyond what you say, you begin to replicate the character and nature that you’ve built confidence in, starting with yourself.
Not only does it give you confidence, it gives you integrity and integrity has a lot to do with what you do when people are not watching.
This is where influence is key, sometimes we tend to think that our influence is only in the public arena when people see us. But the deeper flow of influence is actually behind the scenes, when you are alone, when people don’t see, when people are not watching.
This is when your integrity as a leader begins to kick in, where what you say and what you do become one.
When you live a life of integrity alone, it’s easier to replicate it in your relationships with others.
Not only does it give you experience, confidence and integrity, but it also gives you influence.
Leadership is influence, and when you’ve lead yourself successfully, you begin to have influence with others.
Others want to learn from you, they want to be better because they know you, they want to come into your space and drink from your well of leadership because you’ve lead yourself well.
“The thing about leading yourself is that you can’t take shortcuts because you know if you don’t do it right, you’re going to have to face the consequences of your leadership.”
Mzwandile Magagula
This is where you begin to go the extra mile to ensure that you lead yourself well.
You go the extra mile, you challenge yourself, you become hard on yourself, this is where you hold yourself to a higher standard, higher than anyone else would you.
This then gives you a firmer foundation for your leadership as it rooted in your morality. People are to trust you and look to you for transformation because it is not only seen in your speech but it is evident in your lifestyle and character.
