Leadership Exercises (Part I)

Delphi was an ancient religious sanctuary dedicated to the Greek god Apollo. At the front courtyard at Delphi, there was an inscription: γν?θι σεαυτ?ν which translates to “know thyself,” a famous aphorism often attributed to Socrates or Plato. What does it mean to know oneself?

In my new book?The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader, I discuss how self-awareness is the fundamental first step for aspiring leaders. Self-awareness?is the ability to know what we are doing as we do it?and?understand why we are doing it. Though an intentional and conscientious process, you gain a better understand who you are and what is truly important to you.

In my book, I included a Leadership Exercise in the end of each chapter. In the next three weeks, I will share the leadership exercises in my newsletter to encourage you to reflect and develop your self-awareness. I would strongly encourage you to share whatever you are comfortable to share in the comment section to enrich the learnings for everyone.?

The first part of the book describes the foundation of leadership value, and how readers can develop self-awareness to explore their own inner voices and better connect their values with organizational objectives. Effectiveness of their leadership can be enhanced by knowing what truly inspires and motivates them, but also how they ultimately define success as a leader. Here are the leadership exercise in the first part of the book.

Chapter 1: Leadership Won't Come and Find You

Identify three reasons why you want to be a leader. Ask yourself how those reasons are aligned with your core values, and how those values are aligned with your organization’s objectives.

Chapter 2: Leadership is Not About You

As an exercise of self-reflection, identify three defining moments in your life or career that either challenged or reenforced certain fundamental values you held, or something that invoked a strong sense of self-awareness. What did you learn from those moments and how have you applied those lessons in your leadership for making decisions?

Chapter 3: Exploring Yourself Before Exploring the World

As an exercise, I encourage you to develop two different narratives to introduce yourself with and without mentioning your work experience. The exercise would help you identify what is truly important for you. The more you know yourself as a person, including your strengths and unique capabilities, the more likely you can be a confident leader. Identify two of your strengths that you could leverage to further enhance your leadership through specific relevant activities and then reach out to two potential coaches/mentors who can provide honest feedbacks.

Chapter 4: Being Right Is Not Always Sufficient

Define the scope of your responsibilities by using the two-circle framework. Identify two areas you can exert influence on between the two circles and develop a strategy of influence by using Aristotle’s framework. Write out the specific approaches for each of the three aspects of persuasion.?

Chapter 5: Successes Come in All Shapes and Sizes

As an exercise, write out what success means to you in the short-term and long-term and reflect on how you would measure the success. Ask yourself why you made the choices you did. Is the definition of success you choose a journey or destination?

To the extent you are comfortable to share, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedbacks.?

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