"Successful leaders work hard at self-awareness."

A thought by John C. Maxwell, from her book, Leading in Tough Times (p. 14). Center Street, Kindle Edition.  (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

And we want to be successful.

So, take that first step!

Earlier John said, "The first step you must take as you approach tough times is to prepare yourself as a leader. You need to make yourself ready for the challenge of leading others through adversity. Of course, you must lead yourself well and make good choices. But you should also think about what kind of leader you want to be as you lead your team forward. Knowing yourself as a leader, what works best and is most effective for you and your team, is important at any time. But when you face new challenges or significant change that impacts the work environment and your goals, you need to really think through who you are going to be to your team and make sure that you remain true to your values, no matter how difficult the journey gets or how much pressure you will be under."

He goes on, "Faced with tough times, leaders instinctively start searching for a way forward. But they don’t always pay enough attention to their starting point. The first step of self-leadership is self-evaluation. You can’t get where you want to go until you know where you are. . . "

He continues, "Successful leaders work hard at self-awareness. They know their own strengths and weaknesses. They examine and understand their temperament. They know what personal experiences have served them well. They know their energy level, their daily, monthly, and seasonal rhythms. They know which kinds of people they work well with and which kinds they have to try harder to appreciate. They have a sense of where they want to go and how they can get there. As a result, they know what they’re capable of doing, and their leadership is steady."

He then says, "Knowing yourself on a pretty deep level isn’t quick or easy. It is a long and involved process. Some of it isn’t particularly fun. But it is necessary if you want to become a better leader. Self-knowledge is foundational to effective leading."

So, let's take that first step to success, okay? Yes, yes! #continuethought