Have you been in leadership for a while now and it’s starting to feel exhausting? You feel like you’re constantly chasing after something that is just out of reach. Whether it’s looking for the next step in your career, the next project, the next promotion, or just for “the” day to come, you feel like you’re stuck in life’s waiting room.
This is often what happens when we act based on what we are told we “should” want, what society expects of us. Many of us do this without ever taking the time to check-in with ourselves and decide if any of this is really what we wanted for ourselves. We were too focused on where we were going, what the end goal was, to really embark on a journey of true leadership, one that helps us escape this waiting place without the constant need to hustle and grind.
How do you combat leadership fatigue?
If you’ve found yourself chasing destinations, and success without ever looking within, I want to challenge you to begin this journey. Because when it comes to self-leadership, self-mastery, and living a life that is truly fulfilling and authentic, it becomes a journey rather than a one-time project or destination. Increasing our self-awareness requires us to continually monitor, examine, and modify our thinking and behaviours. We must become reflective, tuning into and listening to our self-talk, and becoming aware of our thoughts and their source.
The ability to question ourselves without bias or ego brings invaluable insight and self-learning. It allows us to gain clarity of purpose and vision, understand our unique strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities, and learn how to leverage those strengths to compensate for our weaknesses. It also helps us understand our personal beliefs, blind-spots, principles, habits, motivators, and values.
Self-awareness enables us to understand who we are right now and helps shape who we want to be in the future. It allows us to be more conscious of our reactions and behaviours, and assists us in changing them in favour of more effective ones that are sustainable over the long term.
Personal leadership is about accepting responsibility for leading ourselves. It's based on the premise that in order to behave authentically in leading others, we must first learn to lead ourselves. It's about choosing to live a life of meaning and purpose and having a positive impact on the lives of others.
So, let's be gentle with ourselves on this journey. Let's take the time to reflect, to listen to our inner voice, and to understand who we are.
Let's remember that the journey is more important than the destination, and that it's the small awakenings and realisations that move us forward. As Socrates said, "To move the world, we must move ourselves." And to lead others and truly excel in leadership, we have to start by leading ourselves.
If you need some help starting your journey to self-mastery, self-leadership and authenticity then get in touch or book a FREE clarity call with me.