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.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Introduction to Self-Leadership

The speaker, an expert in self-leadership with over 20 years of experience, introduces the concept of self-leadership as the intentional influence over one's thinking, feelings, and actions towards objectives. He mentions his books, used in MBA programs and as a bestseller, which focus on understanding and developing self-leadership. The speaker also discusses the idea of being 'framed' from birth, which influences how we see the world and our ability to lead ourselves. He uses the analogy of his daughter needing glasses to see street signs, illustrating how self-leadership allows us to be the driver of our lives, not just passengers.

05:01

🧩 Building Blocks of Self-Leadership

The speaker delves into the components of self-leadership, which include self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-learning. He explains self-awareness as the reflection on one's psychological processes and experiences. A psychometric test using chess pieces is introduced to illustrate different personality types at work, emphasizing the importance of stepping back from stereotypes. Self-learning is described as the proactive process of diagnosing one's learning needs and goals, with a personal anecdote about the speaker's son Nathan and his chess skills. Self-regulation, or self-management, is the ability to modulate attention, emotion, and behavior towards a goal, allowing individuals to seize opportunities as they arise.

10:04

🌟 Embracing Self-Leadership for Personal Growth

The speaker emphasizes the importance of setting intentions and recognizing the 'frames' or options available to us. He discusses the practical steps for self-regulation, such as preparing workout clothes by the bed to encourage morning exercise. The speaker also touches on the use of tools like Fitbit for tracking self-regulation. He concludes by highlighting the significance of self-leadership in fostering resilience, flexibility, and the ability to choose one's attitude and path. He quotes Dr. Victor Frankl and references the poem 'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley, which was famously recited by Nelson Mandela, to underscore the empowerment that comes with self-leadership.

Keywords

💡Self-leadership

Self-leadership is defined in the script as the practice of intentionally influencing one's thinking, feelings, and actions towards objectives. It is the core theme of the video, emphasizing the importance of individuals taking charge of their own development and direction. The speaker uses his books and coaching experience to illustrate how self-leadership can be developed and applied, particularly in the context of executive coaching and MBA programs.

💡Framing

Framing refers to the pre-existing conditions or contexts that shape an individual's perspective and behavior. The script uses the metaphor of being 'framed' from birth, with factors like nationality, ethnicity, and upbringing influencing one's worldview. The concept is integral to understanding self-leadership as it implies that recognizing and stepping back from these frames is necessary to take control of one's own leadership.

💡Reactivity

Reactivity in the script is described as a symptom of the absence of self-leadership, where individuals respond impulsively to situations without a clear plan or intention. It contrasts with the proactive and intentional approach of self-leadership, where one anticipates and influences outcomes rather than merely reacting to them.

💡Self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to focus on and reflect on one's own psychological processes, inner experiences, and relationships with others. In the context of the video, it is a fundamental aspect of self-leadership, enabling individuals to understand their own motivations and behaviors, which is crucial for personal development and effective leadership.

💡Self-learning

Self-learning is the process by which individuals take initiative in diagnosing their learning needs, goals, resources, and outcomes. The script illustrates this concept through the story of the speaker's child learning to play chess, emphasizing the proactive approach to skill development and the mindset of looking for opportunities even in challenging situations.

💡Self-regulation

Self-regulation, also referred to as self-management, is the process of controlling one's attention, emotions, and behavior to achieve goals. The speaker discusses setting up the work environment to trigger the best state for work and using tools like Fitbit to track steps, which are practical examples of self-regulation in action.

💡Opportunity

Opportunity, derived from the Latin 'portum ventos' meaning a favorable wind, is used in the script to symbolize the potential for progress and achievement. The concept is tied to self-leadership as it encourages individuals to seek out and take advantage of opportunities that arise, rather than being passive or reactive.

💡Intention

Intention is the act of setting a clear goal or direction for oneself. In the video, intention is portrayed as a driving force behind self-leadership, as it shapes the causal chain of actions and influences the future. The speaker emphasizes the power of intention in changing one's course and achieving objectives.

💡Mindset

Mindset, as discussed in the video, refers to the mental attitude or approach that individuals have towards their work and life. The speaker mentions a survey by McKinsey Institute that highlights self-leadership as a significant component of the mindsets required for the future of work, indicating its importance in personal and professional success.

💡Victim mindset

A victim mindset is characterized by a tendency to blame external factors for one's circumstances and a lack of personal responsibility. The script contrasts this with self-leadership, which involves taking control and ownership of one's actions and outcomes, thereby avoiding the negative implications of a victim mindset.

💡Situational judgment test

The situational judgment test for self-leadership mentioned in the script is a tool developed by the speaker to measure self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-learning. It is an example of how self-leadership can be assessed and developed, providing a structured approach to understanding and improving one's leadership capabilities.

Highlights

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

Self-leadership is essential for personal and professional development, and it's taught in MBA programs worldwide.

The absence of self-leadership can manifest as reactivity, randomness, blame, and a victim mindset.

Self-leadership is crucial for becoming the driver of your life, not just a passenger.

McKinsey Institute identified self-leadership as one of the top skills required for the future of work.

Self-awareness is about focusing on and reflecting on one's own psychological processes and experiences.

A quick psychometric test using chess pieces to represent different work personalities is introduced.

The importance of stepping back from stereotypes and having self-awareness is emphasized.

Self-learning is the process of taking initiative in diagnosing one's learning needs, goals, resources, and outcomes.

Self-regulation, or self-management, is about modulating attention, emotion, and behavior to pursue goals.

Setting intentions and recognizing opportunities are key aspects of self-leadership.

The analogy of being the captain of a ship to illustrate the importance of self-leadership in navigating life's challenges.

Self-leadership allows for resilience and the flexibility to find the right course in life.

The concept of removing 'OEM software' and designing your own self-leadersship is introduced.

Self-leadership enables individuals to scale their team, department, and company by encouraging ownership and responsibility.

The talk concludes with an invitation to intentionally influence one's thinking, feeling, and actions towards objectives.

Transcripts

self leadership

what is it

why do you need it

and how to develop it

i've been writing speaking coaching on

self leadership for over 20 years

my first book with dr anna kazan uh we i

like to call it the red book is used on

mba programs around the world to help

students to understand self-leadership

particularly to assist them in their

studies my 2016 book i like to call the

blue book is a handbook for developing

yourself leadership and was a best

seller on amazon

so i am very deep into the topic of

self-leadership and i coach executives

around the world to develop their

self-leadership so that they can develop

the self-leadership in their teams

the definition of self-leadership that's

in the red book

with dr anna kazan is as follows that

self-leadership is the practice of

intentionally influencing your thinking

feelings and actions towards your

objectives

it is a practice of it's about

intentionally influencing your thinking

feeling and actions towards an objective

now do you remember your birth

of course you don't

but surprisingly i actually have been at

a number of births

and i can tell you with some certainty

what happened at the moment of your

birth your mother brought you into this

world

maybe the doctor or the midwife held you

up and then within a few moments you

were given a name a nationality an

ethnicity and gender and possibly a

religion and a football team to follow

you see you have been

framed

we are all framed from the moment of our

birth with our dna and then as we grow

up in terms of our parenting the culture

we're born into as schooling

we are framed and that framing actually

influences the way we see the world and

our ability to influence ourselves is

dependent on us stepping back from that

frame and realizing we've been

pre-programmed

last year uh my daughter tasha who's

just turned 16

told me that she was struggling to see

things at a distance she needed glasses

and

so i took her to the optometrist and on

the drive to the optometrist she asked

me some questions because she's super

curious she's about to become an adult

and she says to me dad how do i learn to

drive and i said that's easy i'll teach

you i'm a good driver i think i'm a

pretty good teacher

and she said okay but but how do i know

where to go i said well it's easy for

you you've got gps you know i had to

learn from a from an a to z how to

navigate london

she said oh but but how do i know which

street i said well that's easy you'll be

able to read the street signs now she

looked a little confused but at that

moment we arrived at the optometrist

she took an assessment and it's a great

franchise where they deliver you the

glasses within 20 minutes she puts on

her new glasses and she says wow i can

see that sign at a distance but that

wasn't the epiphany for me the epiphany

for me was when we were driving home and

she said oh wow

there are street names on those street

signs i didn't realize that her framing

hadn't allowed her to see the signs

and that's how most people live their

lives

they are a passenger on the bus of life

but with self leader

sorry with self leadership we can be the

driver

not the passenger now this is jason

stratham from the uh from the movies

transporter you can see the similarity

actually the only similarity is that we

both drive audis oh maybe the bald head

but here's the thing are you the driver

of your life

and and one of the ways to check that is

the absence of self-leadership

what is the absence of self-leadership

well you've probably seen it in members

of your team but if you thought about it

for yourself

the absence of self-leadership is

reactivity randomness blame

and a victim mindset and so why

self-leadership is important is to

become the driver and avoid these

symptoms

and here is the maxim and i hope you'll

agree with me that you can't lead others

unless

you first

lead yourself do you agree

now

uh mckinsey institute recently did a

survey in fact in 2021 did a survey on

the skills required during the future of

work or in the future of work and they

came up with 56 deltas which are made up

of mindsets and skills and 25 of those

are self-leadership now

i've been teaching researching and

measuring self-leadership for a period

of time in fact i built the world's

first

situational judgment test for

self-leadership where we can measure

your self-awareness

your self-regulation

and your self-learning and therefore

work out a developmental plan for you

so what does that mean well

self-awareness

self-awareness is the tendency for an

individual to focus on and reflect on

their own psychological processes and

inner experiences as well as their

relationships

to others

let's do a quick psychometric test for

you right now

so this is chessboard probably all

familiar with chess even if you don't

play it

what i want you to do is to choose a

piece on a chessboard that most

represents your personality at work now

if you don't know the pieces don't worry

let's go through them one by one and

i'll explain their characteristics

we start with the pawns there are eight

on each side they move slowly towards

the opposition and are likely to be

sacrificed early in the game of chess

now if you're feeling powerless at work

you would be a pawn

next is the rook or the castle this is a

risk-averse piece

and doesn't move early in the game and

so audit or compliance and sometimes

technology is in the rook category very

powerful but not necessarily a good

position early in the game

next comes the knight now this is the

risk embracing piece this is the

entrepreneur jumps forwards sideways

surprises the enemy

the problem for the knight is sometimes

he or she gets so far ahead of the other

pieces that they lack the support

sound familiar to some of you

then there's the bishop and this piece

cuts diagonally across the board this is

a piece in a hurry hates stand-up

operating procedures just wants to sell

the customer before rnd has finished

developing it or operations has worked

out how to deliver it and is the arch

enemy of the rook or the castle

and then of course comes the queen now

in the original indian game of chess the

queen was the vizier so this is not

gender-specific but the queen can go

forwards and backwards and diagonally

she can go everywhere but she's so busy

looking after everybody else she

sometimes forgets to look after herself

and then finally there's the king now if

you chose the king maybe you have

delusions of grandeur

and narcissistic tendencies because the

king

whilst most important piece on the board

requires all other members of the team

to support him or her

now i don't care which piece you chose

it doesn't really matter because this

was a setup

because you've been

framed the real lesson here is to have

the self-awareness to step back from

those stereotypes and play all the

pieces maybe even play multiple games of

chess simultaneously like the grand

master bobby fisher who was the first

american to beat the russians

so

how do you build self-awareness

work with a coach

because self-learning is the next

fundamental

self-learning is the process by which

individuals take the initiative in

diagnosing their learning needs goals

resources and outcomes

now here's another story about another

one of my kids nathan i was playing

chess with nathan i taught him to play

and and he quickly

um caught up with me and actually

surpassed me in his chess skills and i

remember one game we were playing

absolutely cornered and locked up

but i knew

with my self-leadership mindset is that

when we feel the most stuck that's often

when there's an opportunity and i stayed

and i looked at the board and sure

enough

i found an opportunity to not just get

out of the trap but to turn the game

around

and that is the mindset of self-learning

is looking for options

from options we move into

self-regulating

sometimes called self-management and

self-regulating is the process of

modulating attention emotion and

behavior to a given situation stimulus

for the purpose of pursuing a goal

self-regulation allows us to find the

opportunities

opportunity from the latin phrase

portum ventons meaning a favorable wind

just as a typhoon is a wind a hurricane

is a wind and opportunity is a

particular type of wind that brings you

towards your port

you see with self-regulation we can take

action when opportunities arise

now each morning there's an opportunity

to get up and exercise some of us take

that uh opportunity i do periods of my

life sometimes then i let it backslide

my self-regulation drops back but if i

want to make sure i'm going to go for a

walk or run or exercise in the morning i

make sure that my gym shoes my shorts my

t-shirt are by my bed so that i get out

of bed and i'm ready to go

there are various things that we can do

to track our self-regulation you can

wear a fitbit that lets you know how

many steps you've taken

so we want to set up our work

environment so it triggers us to be in

the best state to do the work that we

need and again whether it's time

management or focus

whatever it is that you need sometimes

it's best to work with a coach to help

you be the best version

of yourself

so the big frame here is to set an

intention

to see the frames

which are options

to set your own frame

which is opportunity

self-leadership

leads to options

and opportunities

always look for the options

and the opportunities remember

to be self-aware what frame am i

operating from to be learning to take

the feedback make the adjustment just

like a sailor adjusting the wind and the

sails

sorry adjusting the sails and the tiller

for the wind

and aiming for your port

and interestingly since i'm using a lot

of sailing metaphors here

there is a great quote here

from dr victor frankl

everything can be taken from a man but

one thing

the last of the human freedoms

to choose one's attitude in any given

set of circumstances

to choose one's own way

this is what being a leader is because

you can't lead others unless you first

lead yourself you need to be able to set

your course and regardless of what

happens

foul wins

stormy seas

you will continue to have the

persistence

because you have the intention to

achieve your goals by

regulating your thinking feeling and

actions towards those goals and the poem

invictus by henley made famous

by nelson mandela

it matters not how straight the gate how

charged with punishment the scroll i am

the master of my fate

i am the captain of my soul

so self-leadership is that inner

resilience it is the flexibility to find

the course

it is choosing your frame rather than

accepting the frames of your birth

and your upbringing and all of the above

programming that you can remove that oem

software and design your own

self-leadership is

the practice of

intentionally

influencing your thinking feeling and

actions towards your objectives

and intention changes the causal chain

it doesn't matter what has happened in

the past when you change your intention

you change

your future because you can't lead

others unless you first lead yourself

and then you can encourage everybody

that follows you to take ownership

to be an adult to take ownership for

their thinking feeling and actions and

not to be a dependent and this allows

you to scale your team your department

and your company

so that is

a brief introduction to self-leadership

i'm andrew bryan it's been my pleasure

intentionally influence your thinking

feeling and actions towards

your objectives

[Music]

you