Every week I have to fill out a report at work that summarizes what I did last week and what I am working on and focusing on. We call it the 5/15 report (5 minutes for my boss to read and 15 minutes for me to fill out).
One of the questions on that report is “what is your biggest challenge right now”? For me the biggest challenge has been and always will be me.
Leading myself is what determines how well I lead and help others. If you are really honest with yourself, this is true of all of us. We tend to be the biggest roadblock to our own success.
So, if this is the biggest challenge many of us face, how do you lead yourself? Here is my top 20 ways to lead yourself:
- Spend time with God on a regular basis (prayer, reading the Bible, meditation)
- Discover your strength and focus on developing those strengths – Understand your weaknesses and manage around them
- Character is a big deal – It’s what you do when no one is looking that matters
- Find systems that help you work and live smarter
- Read
- Ask Questions
- Find mentors and organizations that you can learn from
- Have someone holding you accountable – Give them permission to ask tough questions
- Continually work at listening better
- Don’t be afraid to fail or take risks, but learn from your failures
- Surround yourself with good people that are strong in your areas of weakness
- Be Humble – Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking less about yourself
- Be willing to step out of your comfort zone – Do something that stretches and challenges you
- Pay attention – To people, to culture, to circumstances, to body language etc.
- The things you do today are preparing you for your defining moments of the future. Little things matter
- Think about the big picture every day – Work on it not in it
- Get help – It is OK to go to a counselor, pastor or doctor
- Make sure you are healthy Emotionally & Physically – This takes discipline
- Don’t forget to relax and have fun
I could list many other things, but this is a good start. The better you lead yourself, the better your relationships will be and the more valuable you become to the people around you.
Lead On!