Why Self Leadership and How to Build Your Self-leadership 🧑🏻‍🚀

Summary

The video script delves into the concept of self-leadership, emphasizing its significance for personal and professional growth. Author Andrew Bryan, with over 20 years of experience, defines self-leadership as intentionally influencing one's thoughts, feelings, and actions towards objectives. He illustrates the idea through metaphors like driving one's life and the chessboard analogy, highlighting the importance of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-learning. Bryan stresses that leading oneself is fundamental to leading others, advocating for a proactive approach to life's challenges and opportunities.

Takeaways

• 🚀 Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feelings, and actions towards your objectives.
• 🌟 The author has been writing, speaking, and coaching on self-leadership for over 20 years, with his books used globally in MBA programs.
• 👶 We are all 'framed' from birth by factors like DNA, culture, and upbringing, which can limit our ability to self-lead unless we recognize and step back from these influences.
• 🧩 The absence of self-leadership is characterized by reactivity, randomness, blame, and a victim mindset.
• 🚦 Self-leadership is crucial for becoming proactive and avoiding the negative traits mentioned above.
• 🏆 A McKinsey Institute survey identified self-leadership as one of the top skills required for the future of work, highlighting its importance in 25 out of 56 deltas.
• 🤔 Self-awareness is key in self-leadership, involving focusing on and reflecting on one's own psychological processes, inner experiences, and relationships.
• 🎲 The author uses a chessboard analogy for self-awareness, suggesting that recognizing and stepping beyond stereotypes is crucial for effective self-leadership.
• 📈 Self-learning involves taking initiative in diagnosing one's learning needs, setting goals, and finding resources and outcomes.
• 🔄 Self-regulation, or self-management, is about modulating attention, emotion, and behavior to pursue goals effectively.
• 🌱 Developing self-leadership involves setting intentions, recognizing opportunities, and adjusting one's thinking, feeling, and actions towards objectives.

Q & A

What is the definition of self-leadership according to the 'red book'?

Self-leadership is defined as the practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feelings, and actions towards your objectives.

How does the author describe the process of being framed from birth?

The author explains that we are framed from the moment of our birth with our DNA, and as we grow, our upbringing, culture, and schooling further frame our perspectives and influence our ability to self-lead.

What is the significance of the story about the author's daughter needing glasses?

The story illustrates the concept of 'framing' and how it can limit our perception. The daughter's new glasses symbolize gaining a new perspective, which is essential for self-leadership.

What does the author suggest is the absence of self-leadership?

The absence of self-leadership is characterized by reactivity, randomness, blame, and a victim mindset.

Why is self-leadership important according to the McKinsey Institute's survey?

The McKinsey Institute's survey highlights that 25 out of 56 skills required for the future of work are related to self-leadership, emphasizing its importance in personal and professional development.

What does self-awareness involve in the context of self-leadership?

Self-awareness involves focusing on and reflecting on one's own psychological processes, inner experiences, and relationships with others.

How does the author use the chessboard analogy to explain self-awareness?

The author uses the chessboard analogy to illustrate different personality traits at work, emphasizing the importance of stepping back from stereotypes and recognizing one's own unique self-awareness.

What is self-learning and how does it relate to self-leadership?

Self-learning is the process by which individuals take initiative in diagnosing their learning needs, goals, resources, and outcomes. It is a fundamental aspect of self-leadership as it involves continuous self-improvement and adaptability.

How does self-regulation contribute to self-leadership?

Self-regulation, also known as self-management, is the process of modulating attention, emotion, and behavior to pursue a goal. It allows individuals to find and seize opportunities, which is crucial for effective self-leadership.

What practical advice does the author give for improving self-regulation?

The author suggests setting up one's work environment to trigger the best state for work and using tools like a Fitbit to track progress, emphasizing the importance of intention and preparation in self-regulation.

How does the author connect self-leadership to the broader concept of leadership?

The author connects self-leadership to leadership by stating that one cannot lead others effectively unless they first lead themselves, highlighting the importance of self-leadership in developing resilience, flexibility, and the ability to influence others.