Importance of Self-Leadership

Rooted Leaders

provide a foundation of authentic, life-giving leadership that will help others flourish and build a thriving world.

There are so many examples in the public sphere of how things can go completely pear- shaped if leaders are not well rooted internally.  The 2007-08 financial crisis gave us a plethora of examples of business leaders whose external judgements had a negative impact on segments of the world population simply because they had lost all internal rootedness.  They got to a stage where their internal compass had disintegrated to the point that there was not a shred of integrity left.  More recently how our political leaders have exercised their leadership within the present pandemic crisis is much more a reflection of their rootedness than their skills and abilities. I have watched in utter amazement, as I am sure many of you have too, seeing political leaders in countries where the pandemic has brought enormous suffering and death, make light of it.  That demonstrates to me that those leaders are not firmly rooted.  Instead of words of empathy and care for those who are suffering, their public statements are made with a much more egocentric agenda in mind.  

Yet there are also many wonderful examples of leaders in the public sphere who choose a path that is not prompted by self-interest but is a reflection that their internal compass is truly intact.  Business leaders who decide not to put company profits above the well-being of those they serve; political leaders who resign rather than implement a government policy which is against their own values; religious leaders who reach out across worldview divides to embrace those on the opposite side of the theological spectrum, and many more.  These stories rarely hit the headlines but are the ones that should be told because they illustrate a leadership that is truly rooted as opposed to being built on the shifting sands of expediency.  

Self-leadership is the foundation of good leadership because we all lead out of who we are.If you are a compassionate person you will be a compassionate leader.If you are an angry person you will be an angry leader.If you are a generous person you will be a generous leader.Who you are is vitally important because who you are will have a much bigger impact on those you lead than your skills and abilities.You need the latter but it is the former that is the real foundation of authentic and life-giving leadership that will help others flourish and build a thriving world.