Are you investing in your personal leadership?

The "Integer Leadership Consulting" blog has a great post "Thinking about Self-Leadership: A brief reflection" which builds on what Greg Thomas describes as personal leadership which is..

“the desire of an individual to take charge of his or her own life. Personal leaders realize that leadership is not a position or title, but an outlook on life and their role in the world…..If personal leadership had a motto it would be this, ‘Before I seek to change or motivate others I must first learn to change and motivate myself. I must first become the change I wish to see in others.’”

and Jeffrey calls personal leadership his post self-leadership and defines it as:

"…the ongoing discipline of cultivating inner personal meaning, constructing an engaging personal vision and assessing personal impact."

In our rushed and busy life we often neglect taking the time out to strengthen our personal leadership practice. How often do you take time out to focus on the development of your personal meaning and purpose, the pursuit of a your personal vision and taking the time to reflect on the personal impact that you’re making on the world around you. And, the consequences of not strengthening your personal leadership? I think Jeffery puts it best….

Unfortunately, leader’s who disregard the practice and discipline of self-leadership can eventually pay a steep price on the personal and professional level. When leaders become detached from their inner moorings and abandon the work of maintaining inner congruence due to the “tyranny of the urgent,” their integrity, moral compass and external performance is in danger of eventual collapse. This slow-burn or incremental deterioration resulting from the ongoing (and often unconscious) neglect of one’s sense of self, sense of rootedness and personal vision is more often than not realized only after there has been damage to self, others as well as to one’s professional standing and trajectory. The cumulative effect of ignoring the work of self-leadership is not unlike the metaphor of the “Frog in the Kettle.”

This is a really challenging leadership practice, one we usually neglect and fail to invest in meaningfully. What’s the state of your inner life? How effective is your personal leadership?

Posts that may be of help in developing your personal leadership include:

• Developing a Leadership Philosophy
• How to develop your personal growth plan
• The Practice of Mindfulness
• Developing 3-Dimensional Leaders
• Understanding Leadership Context

Technorati Tags: Leadership Development, Leadership, Management, Practice, Business, Purpose, Reflection, Growth, Vision

Related posts:

1. How much time are you investing in developing a shared vision?
2. How to develop your personal growth plan
3. Do you have a personal leadership vision?
4. Understanding Leadership Context
5. The four key components of a personal leadership vision

Tagged as: Leadership Practices, Meaning, Personal Leadership, Purpose, Reflection, Self-Awareness, Vision