Self-development without self-violence: how the concept of personal leadership works

What is the essence of the concept of personal leadership

The main idea is to try to be a leader for yourself. Not a parent, not a strict boss or an eccentric dictator, but a leader. A person who is interested in his team - in this case one person - to move forward, achieve goals and feel comfortable at the same time.

Here are some of the qualities that define a good leader:

He is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of his team and takes them into account when working on projects and when assigning responsibilities.
He does not criticize or scold, but gives full feedback.
He knows how to clearly and clearly set tasks and track progress.
He knows how important support and attention to the team's emotional state are for the team.
He thinks strategically, sets goals and arranges work so that the team achieves them.
He knows how to distribute the load and knows how to support people.

The essence of personal leadership is to learn to interact with yourself in much the same way that a good leader interacts with his team.

How to practice personal leadership

1. Imagine the ideal leader

Think about what kind of leader you would like to be and what you mean by leadership. It's great if you have an example of such a person before your eyes. This could be your boss, teacher, or just an acquaintance.

Remember how he behaved in different situations. Think about the qualities that helped him lead the team successfully. Maybe he knew how to cheer up on time, explained the tasks in great detail and clearly, or he just had a great sense of humor.

Write down the qualities on a piece of paper and ask yourself which ones you already possess and which ones are worth developing. They will be useful to you, even if you are not a manager and there is only one person in your subordination - you yourself.

In addition, if you have a better idea of what to strive for, it will be easier to achieve this.

2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses

Forcing yourself to do something for which you have neither the ability nor the desire is unconstructive. It is better to be flexible and think about how to effectively use your advantages, and make the disadvantages less destructive.

Let's say you are very thoughtful and diligent, but communication is your weak point. Tormenting yourself with a job that consists entirely of communication and depends on how well you get along with others is unwise. Even within the framework of one professional area, it is more logical to choose an occupation that is related to documents, analytics, research or creativity.

A good leader, if he had the opportunity to distribute tasks depending on the personal qualities of employees, would do just that: a contact extrovert would entrust work with clients, an assiduous introvert - work with numbers and documents.

3. Determine what you are aiming for

You don't have to set long-term goals 10 years in advance, although if you have them, that's great. But it is important to be aware of what you are striving for, at least in the short term. This will help you understand where to limit yourself, and where, on the contrary, to let go of the bit.

Let's say you have a choice: to set aside some of the money or spend some amount on a computer game, a new gadget, a few boxes of pizza. If your goal is to save up for a vacation, a car or a down payment on housing, then it would be logical to remind yourself of this and think about a budget way to please yourself. If, on the contrary, you don’t save for anything, but want, for example, to relax from the bottom of your heart on the weekend and go to work with renewed vigor, you don’t have to limit yourself.

4. Communicate with yourself respectfully

One of the biggest mistakes we make on the road to increasing productivity is our tendency to berate ourselves, blame ourselves, and devalue ourselves. Missed a workout? A weak-willed rag. Couldn't find a job with a high salary? A pitiful loser. Can't do everything that you have planned? Lazy freak.

All this is part of negative self-talk and self-depreciation, and this approach is only frustrating, but not motivating in any way. If we are talking about becoming your own leader, then it is better to communicate with yourself not as an inadequate tyrant, but as a leader who wants to understand the problem.

Ask yourself why you feel you are not putting in enough effort, think about how you can change the task to make it easier to complete. Do all this politely, without insults.