Latest updated: 23 November 2023

To be a good leader – or employee – one must first and foremost develop strong self-leadership. Self-leadership involves learning to understand and control one's own behaviour, thoughts, emotions, and actions. This, in turn, leads to increased motivation, efficiency, and better relationships with others. From an organisational perspective, developing self-leadership in both managers and other employees is highly valuable.

What is self-leadership?

Self-leadership fundamentally revolves around our ability to influence and control ourselves. It can also be described as taking responsibility for oneself, one's behaviour, and one's actions. A good self-leader knows themselves, understands their strengths and weaknesses, and is aware of their thoughts and emotions and how they guide their behaviour. All of this has a significant impact on one's own life performance and on how others react and behave towards them.

However, self-awareness is just the first step. A self-leader doesn't settle for being aware of their behaviour but always strives to take control of it and steer it in the right direction. The goal is to unleash one's strengths and make them as prominent as possible while suppressing weaknesses to prevent them from negatively affecting one's life. Self-leadership is achieved through regular self-assessment, self-reflection, and introspection, as well as by establishing good habits and routines that maximise strengths and minimise weaknesses.

In essence, a self-leader develops strategies to lead themselves effectively, rather than operating on autopilot and following various impulses and whims.

What are the advantages of self-leadership?

Self-leadership is a crucial skill for both managers and employees. Everyone has both strengths and weaknesses, and being unaware of one's behaviour can lead to various negative consequences for oneself and others.

Lack of self-leadership can result in significant setbacks in both professional and personal life, often setbacks that one may not understand the cause of (due to lacking self-awareness). It can also create problems in relationships with others, as someone who is unaware of their emotions and behaviour risks unnecessary conflicts or becoming a burden to those around them.

The advantage of self-leadership is that it empowers individuals to take control of themselves. This leads to improved self-confidence, greater work efficiency, and enhanced responsibility. It is also an excellent way to improve relationships with others, as it enhances communication skills.

From an organisational perspective, self-leadership in both managers and employees is highly valuable, as a good self-leader can perform at a high level without the need for constant micro-management. An organisation full of self-leaders becomes efficient and responsible at all levels.

Employees who have developed strong self-leadership skills are also better prepared to take on leadership roles in the future. Once again, it's essential to emphasise that a leader must always be able to lead themselves first to claim to be a good leader for others.

How can you develop strong self-leadership within an organisation?

Self-leadership is inherently a highly individual and personal trait, but this doesn't mean that you can't actively work to strengthen self-leadership among managers and employees within an organisation.

It involves setting expectations for personal responsibility while also providing individuals with the trust and authority needed to take that responsibility. Avoid micromanagement and instead focus on coaching leadership, so employees learn to solve problems and drive positive changes independently. Ask questions instead of giving detailed instructions and directives. Self-leadership is primarily learned through practice.

However, it's also possible to make a more specific and targeted effort to develop self-leadership. This often involves seeking external help, such as coaching or various courses and training programmes. Coaching is perhaps the most effective method, as it's individual-focused – and if there's a skill that requires individual development, it's self-leadership.

How can coaching help develop self-leadership?

As mentioned earlier, self-leadership is about having strategies to manage one's own behaviour, thoughts, and emotional reactions. It's also about establishing good habits and routines to maximise strengths and minimise weaknesses.

A coach can assist individuals in developing these strategies and establishing the right habits. This begins with self-discovery and self-awareness, where clients learn about themselves, their behaviour, and the consequences of their actions. Then, concrete and measurable goals are set for changing or adjusting behaviour in daily work and personal life. A step-by-step plan is developed to achieve these goals.

During coaching, clients learn not to leave anything to chance in their behaviour. Instead, they act self-consciously and with a long-term perspective. Another essential aspect of coaching is teaching clients that they can always change their approach when necessary and avoid repeating the same mistakes or persisting with behaviours that aren't effective.

The coach helps clients develop the qualities needed for effective self-leadership. These include self-awareness and self-regulation, empathy and social skills, responsibility, motivation, and commitment to personal goals, among others.

Self-awareness is a fundamental and practical trait that all individuals need to develop. By learning to take responsibility for themselves, individuals become better at taking responsibility for others as well. Therefore, it primarily benefits the individual but also the surrounding environment and the entire organisation.

Summary – Creating an Organisation Full of Self-Leaders

1. Self-leadership involves taking responsibility for oneself and learning to control and influence one's own behaviour towards oneself and others. This leads to increased efficiency and motivation, making collaboration more effective.

2. Self-leadership is achieved by developing self-awareness and self-insight, followed by the creation of strategies and habits that maximise strengths and minimise weaknesses.

3. Within an organisation, you can develop self-leadership by fostering personal responsibility while providing trust and authority. Avoid micromanagement and focus on coaching leadership, enabling employees to learn to solve problems and drive positive changes independently.

4. Coaching can be instrumental in developing self-leadership. It helps individuals set goals, create plans, and develop the qualities required for effective self-leadership, enhancing not only individual performance but also the overall organisation