1 core practice every elite leader masters

TOGETHER WITH THE RUNDOWN

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THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Self-Leadership

My friend, I developed my appreciation for self-leadership as a cadet at West Point. This historical institution is known for its role in training and educating future leaders of the U.S. Army. It is an understatement to say that I arrived eager to learn about leadership.

The lesson you learn right out of the gate is the importance of self-leadership.

That lesson never ends.

Today, I want to dig into the details. I want to define self-leadership and talk about what it looks like in practice. Then, I want to offer you a suggestion for next steps and additional resources you can use.

While the term is tossed around quite a bit, you may still be unclear about what self-leadership is.

After 20+ years of reflection, 10+ years of focused self-study, and 5+ years coaching executives, here’s my definition: Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing your mindset to align your emotions and behaviors in ways that empower actions that achieve your intended results.

While most leadership definitions focus on external influence, self-leadership, by its very nature, turns that influence inward. It's about developing the capacity to lead yourself before attempting to lead others.

To understand why this matters, let's look at how influence shapes leadership:

• The U.S. Army's ADP 6-22, Army Leadership and the Profession, defines leadership as "the activity of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization."

• In his book, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Peter Northouse defines leadership as "a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal."

• Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse describes leadership as "a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal."

Notice the common thread? It all ties back to influence.

This raises a crucial question: How can you effectively influence others if you haven't mastered influencing yourself?

Short answer: you cannot.

If you want to lead others well, you must start with yourself.

Influencing Your Mindset 🎯

How do you actually influence your mindset?

It starts with awareness. Think about it: you cannot influence what you cannot observe.

Awareness isn't just general attentiveness – it's focused observation of specific elements that shape your mindset:

• Your beliefs about yourself and situations

• Your emotional responses to challenges

• Your behavioral patterns in different contexts

• Your decision-making processes

But how do you develop this level of awareness?

You do it through contemplative practices. These practices create the space for deep self-observation and understanding. The good thing is that you have many options. Here are a few (this list is not comprehensive):

• Meditation

• Contemplative prayer

• Mindful breathing exercises

• Journaling

• Walking meditation

• Tai Chi

• Qigong

• Yoga

Each of these practices offers a unique pathway to greater self-awareness.

Think back to M = f(m). This simple formula reminds you that Mindset work is a function of Mindfulness.

When you consistently engage in contemplative practices, you create space for meaningful Mindset work. You start to notice patterns in your thoughts, emotions, and reactions.

From Awareness to Influence 🌱

When you develop awareness through contemplative practices, you create the space needed to intentionally influence your mindset.

This isn't just about noticing your thoughts and feelings. It's about developing the capacity to align them with your intentions.

Think about it like learning to drive.

At first, you had to consciously think about every action – checking mirrors, signaling turns, applying brakes.

With practice, these actions became more natural. The same happens with self-leadership. Regular contemplative practice helps you move from merely noticing your patterns to skillfully directing them.

Putting It All Together 🔄

This is where The Path to Unbounded Innovation comes alive.

Your Mindset shapes how you perceive and interpret situations. When you can influence your Mindset intentionally, you build the Courage to face challenges differently. This Courage, combined with awareness, develops Resilience – the ability to adapt well in the face of adversity, trauma, or significant stress.

But here's what makes this framework truly powerful.

Each iteration through Mindset work, Courageous action, and Resilient adaptation brings you closer to Innovation.

Not just incremental improvements, but breakthrough transformations in how you lead yourself and others.

So, what are you waiting for?

FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
Putting It Into Practice

Your Self-Leadership Practice

Start small, but stay consistent:

1. Choose one contemplative practice that resonates with you.

2. Commit to 5 minutes daily for two weeks.

3. Journal about what you notice in your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

4. Observe how this awareness influences your self-leadership.

DEEPENING YOUR KNOWLEDGE
Resources for You

📝 Looking for practical ways to develop contemplative practices? This Harvard Business Review article offers concrete steps for building mindfulness into your leadership routine. (Link)

📺 Check out this engaging talk that offers 3 strategies for self-leadership. (Link)

🔗 Check out this site if you want to delve into some of the theories, models, and examples that underpin self-leadership. (Link)

EXCELLENCE UNBOUNDED
How I Can Help You

🚀 Leadership Solutions as Unique as Your Organization

Leadership challenges are never the same for two organizations, so why should leadership programs be? My bespoke leadership programs are designed to empower organizations by cultivating leaders who thrive in today’s complex and unpredictable world.

With a modular design, each program is tailored to address your organization’s unique challenges and goals - whether it’s navigating uncertainty, building resilient teams, driving innovative solutions, enhancing emotional intelligence or deepening cross-cultural competencies.

Let’s partner to create a path to leadership excellence, together.

🎤 Speaking Engagements: My mom can attest to the fact that I LOVE to talk. 😂 Now, I put that talent to work delivering talks on Mindset, Courage, Resilience, & Innovation.

A few past clients include KraftHeinz, Amazon Women @ Payments, PAHEi, & the Panamá Chapter of the International Coaching Federation (I delivered this talk in Spanish).

If you are interested in having me speak at your event, please fill out this form.

Until next Sunday,

Shawnette