Different upbringings and life circumstances set us on different paths. Still, we are all responsible for our lives, and we must play the cards we are dealt. In that sense, we all need to step up and lead ourselves. Leading oneself goes far beyond organizing and planning our activities. Self-leadership bridges our inner life and deeper longings with our outer life and actions.
The main mission of a self-leader is to lead oneself to one’s full potential while being attentive to emotions, feelings, and reactions. A self-leader takes responsibility for one’s energy usage, for setting loving limits, for one’s state of mind, and for seeking flow by acting on one’s inner motivations and values. Self-leaders actively take responsibility for their relationships.
We must question the belief that people must be taken care of. If the goals are clear, the strategy actionable, and the coworkers are given the opportunity to take responsibility for their contribution – then all stakeholders will be better off. It all boils down to understanding oneself and using and growing one’s abilities with love and care in order to live life to its fullest.
We need to foster cultures where people ask for help when they need it. And we need to foster a leadership culture where we provide support when people need it. It goes both ways.
