YOUR PERSONAL SELF-LEADERSHIP JOURNEY
BEGINS WITH YOU…AND YOUR LEADERSHIP COACH

Human nature seems to endow us with the ability to size up everybody in the world except ourselves…
– John Maxwell

SELF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Character is the hardest trait to describe, yet is the core attribute to leadership development. Professional leadership coaching coupled with robust assessments and feedback surveys, is the most effective approach to explore those characteristics critical to leadership development. Understanding your own development level is essential for determining the leadership style you need, where you are in your journey to self-leadership, and for determining what you need to do to get to where you want to go. Accordingly, self-leadership provides insight to where you are headed to get you there!

Whether applied to sports, work, or personal life, personal self-leadership is where we begin to understand ourselves and make significant changes. The concept is neither new nor particularly revolutionary, but based on a profound concept: focusing attention without judgment. When you learn to observe behavior (your own and others’) without criticism, you’ll start to see where change is possible. Removing judgment facilitates change.

The most conservative estimates show a five to seven times return on investment from leadership coaching (Price Waterhouse, ICF study). But coaching success depends on the relationship between leader and coach. The coaching relationship must provide a secure environment to explore character strengths and beliefs. See more at www.implementingchange.com under Services.

OPEN PARTNERSHIP COACHING
Some communication skills, like listening and observing, are automatic and unconscious. Most everyone knows how these work. yet, we don’t always listen and observe well, without judgment — a requirement for achieving desirable outcomes from conversations. by directing focus, energy and awareness towards the right kind of understanding of self, individuals can grow in non-judgmental self-awareness and develop A position of self-trust and confidence.

Few people enjoy being told what to do, especially when the boss or another person is critical or judgmental. As a leader with authority, you’ll be perceived as controlling and dictatorial regardless of how well intentioned you may be. the benefit of the coach and client relationship in coaching situations is that the coach is not judgmental; it is a collaborative and open partnership for the sole purpose of increasing personal self-awareness and leadership development.

DEVELOPING THE SELF-AWARE LEADER
What distinguishes” great” leaders from their colleagues?  Leaders with a growth mindset use every challenge as a learning opportunity and as a goal. For example, some leaders focus almost exclusively on performance results. Others emphasize growth and learning, as well as results. In a horse race, put your money on the leader who defines both learning and performance goals.

MOST managers and leaders are performance-driven. They have lists that highlight what they intend to achieve each quarter, often involving numbers:

• Exceed sales results by 5%.
• Improve team productivity by 25%.
• Decrease customer complaints.

They judge their worth by whether they’ve achieved these goals, and they hold their people to the same standards. Unfortunately, these leaders are likely missing key factors that restrict their potential: a growth mindset with the ability to set and pursue learning goals for themselves and others.

Performance goals are, of course, necessary for achieving bottom-line results. But keep in mind that the bar is constantly being raised. How do you keep increasing your capacity to perform? If you cannot improve your capabilities, you’re unable to keep up. Learning goals represent the inner game you must work on to prevent stagnation.

Leadership development and learning goals include:

• Diminished feelings of stress.
• Enhanced listening skills.
• Increased understanding.
• Improved coaching skills.
• Facilitated cohesive team-building.

BALANCING PERFORMANCE AND LEARNING
Every learning goal contributes to future performance and personal self-leadership. in a performance-driven culture, achievement is overestimated at the expense of learning. for self-leadership development, you must acknowledge the need to learn and grow. You must clarify which goals have the most leverage.

Ask yourself these questions to refine your goals:

• What do I need to learn to enhance my performance?
• Where and with whom can I ask questions and practice these skills?
• Who can help me?
• Which resources are available to me?
• How do I like to learn and grow?

Follow these steps to balance and expand your personal self-leadership journey:
1. Set learning goals with a coach to achieve clarity and develop an action plan.
2. After implementing your action plan, debrief with your coach to maximize change.