The most difficult thing as a leader is to lead yourself.
When I began my career, I thought that the toughest and hardest part with being a leader would be figuring out how to empower the people I worked with.
Over time, I came to realize that while it is certainly challenging, it is even more challenging to create self-awareness and to be kind to myself, since there is no one as demanding as I am to myself.
Therefore, I start with leading myself first.
Start by leading yourself - 3 ways to improve your leadership skills.
Self-reflection: The ability to continually review your own actions and ways of thinking, in order to learn from your mistakes and improve. The more self-aware you are, the better your ability to adjust to different situations will be. Start with: daily/weekly self-reflection practice.
Identify your strengths: Having a clear understanding of your strengths is crucial for effective leadership. Your strength may lie in your ability to motivate your team, while someone else's strength may be public speaking. Start with: writing down your 3 strengths. If you lack inspiration, ask a few friends and colleagues.
…and your weaknesses: Be honest with yourself about areas where you need to improve. Reflect how you can make small steps towards improvement. Start with: imagining if you improve this area, how will you feel like. Then think of one micro-step you can make today and make it.
Be your own cheerleader: Working on yourself takes time, effort and the progress might feel visible. Remember, you are doing it for yourself - external results will follow. Start with: think about a couple of small things you can do to reward yourself and celebrate with yourself when you have progress.
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