Some people that I coach come from the “old school” of leadership, where People Leadership was the center of what leadership was about, instead of the 4 Pillars of Global Leadership.
At some point, we always end up discussing Personal Leadership. Mostly because “shit happens,” and their Personal Leadership ends up going down the drains, which impacts performance. And then people tend to go on a spiral.
Well, that’s what coaches are for, right? To be an accountability partner and help you get back on track when needed.
This is what happened to me a couple of weeks ago: my AC broke in the middle of the biggest heatwave in years! But that was not the worst part. The worst part was that there were no repair parts available in the market due to Pandamic’s effects on the supply chain.
Long story short, I had to have a firm Personal Leadership to lead me through this ordeal.
Are you in a hurry? You can watch the video to learn more about personal leadership and favorite this page to read the entire article later on!
Good thing I knew about personal leadership and the 5 elements of personal power. It helped me keep focus where needed, take my focus away from what was not needed, and take good care of my body and mind, while dealing with a stressful situation.
Let me share it with you, so that you can too leverage this knowledge when needed.
What Is Personal Leadership?
Personal Leadership is the ability to take care of your well-being, have an assertive and positive mental game, manage your willpower, control your stress, and lead a balanced life to exert your full personal power.
That might sound a little chiché, right?
But when you are in the middle of a stressful situation, it’s not. It is pretty common that Personal Leadership actually goes down the drain during hardships and ambiguous situations.
It is understandable, though: when you are going through a pinch like this, you are often emotionally hijacked, stressed, tired or all the above – at the same time. Focus is diminished, and your priorities often change.
We end up focusing so much on the things that are creating that stress – after all, we want to find out a freaking solution! – that we forget all about our Personal Leadership.
The first step into avoiding this, is a conjunction of:
- learning about the 5 elements of Personal Leadership
- knowing where your weakest link is, and
- always having contingency plans or plan Bs.
So let’s learn about the 5 elements of Personal Leadership today.
The 5 Elements Of Personal Leadership
1) Mental Game & Willpower Management: every human being starts their day with a certain amount of willpower. Throughout the day, this willpower will be used for many things. As the days go by, this amount of willpower diminishes. By the end of the day, naturally, you have very limited, or no willpower left. When we have no willpower left, we make poorer choices because willpower is not involved anymore. This management of our willpower levels and how & when we use it is important when it comes to Personal Leadership.
2) Self-discipline & Self-care: well-being does not happen by magic. It takes self-discipline and self-care with the intent of achieving well-being. We have to establish consistent routines that take care of our well-being as a whole. And consistency comes from self-discipline that is regulated by your willpower. See how connected they are? The higher our self-discipline and attention to self-care, the higher our performance will be because we will be full of energy and good health. So this is very important in Personal Leadership as well.
3) Productivity Strategies: usually, when people think about productivity, they think about productivity apps, time management, and so on. The root of productivity is actually something else: it’s our relationship with time. Every human has 24 hours in their days. How we decide to spend these hours is the make-or-break factor for productivity —your intent to be productive plays a significant role in your performance. The apps, time management, and so on are just adjuvants and the tactical approach to the strategy and mindset of deciding to be productive.
4) Core Values Identification: Personal Leadership is also about you knowing what your core values are. Why? Because when you do stuff aligned with your core values, it makes you happier. Simple as that. So identifying and following your core values is an integral (and important) part of Personal Leadership. Self-awareness is the first step to making sensible and reliable decisions that will drive greater happiness.
5) Stress Management: We all go through stressful times and hardships. Tha’s life. From your AC breaking to losing a family member, everyone goes through difficult times. Part of good Personal Leadership is how you manage all this stress to still operate and function during these stressful conditions.
Of course, these critical and demanding situations will not last forever (thankfully!), but while they do, life goes on. And some people rely on you for proper leadership. Even if you are going through a tough time.
So good leadership starts with good Personal Leadership. You have to lead yourself well first so that you can be in good shape to lead other people expertly and reliably too.
It’s no wonder how many good mentors always say that “personal leadership is an important part in your job description.” Yes, I know. It’s not actually there. It’s not written. But pretend it is, because – in fact – it is part of your job description.
Remember these 5 elements going forward, and create strong routines that support you boost your performance and personal power. You’ll see how this simple suggestion will actually skyrocket your performance.
How to learn more about Global Leadership?
OPTION 1: Global Executive Leadership Program
If you are interested in learning more about the 4 secret pillars of success in Global Leadership, which includes the topic of Personal Leadership, don’t miss our 9-week Global Executive Leadership Program. It covers all aspects of the 4 pillars, in a very transformational and interactive self-paced online course.
It’s not meant for any leader. It’s intended for those who want to be impactful, influential, and inclusive global leaders. It’s for those who want to learn how to reliably lead others while expertly leading themselves. You can learn all the skills in each of the 4 pillars in one single place without any hassle. Subscribe to get more information on the program, and you’ll be notified once it’s launched.
OPTION 2: How To Become A 3i Global Leader – Free webinar
If you seek a quick 90-minutes training that talks about some examples and experiences in each of the 4 leadership areas to illustrate the 4 pillars of global leadership, stay tuned for our on demand webinar. It’s packed with information on the 4 secret pillars of success and how to become a 3i global leader (impactful, influential, inclusive). Subscribe to our newsletter below if you also want to receive weekly content on global leadership.
OPTION 3: Global Leadership Competencies – Coaching Program
On top of this, we also offer executive coaching programs for busy professionals. Contact us if you want to improve a specific skill in any of the 4 pillars or work on many skills at once. We can customize a program just for you. Or, conversely, you can follow our regular program, where we will talk about one of the competencies each week during a longer program.
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