What Are The 7 Practices Of Self-Leadership?

Hi there! In this newsletter, I define the seven practices of self-leadership. My Self-Leadership Development Framework offers you a roadmap to personal and professional growth. All successful leaders work hard on individual leadership and growth.

I am always open to your feedback. Enjoy.

Why Is Self-Leadership Critical For Success?

Peter Drucker, a great management consultant, stated that self-leadership is “… the only leadership that’s going to matter in the 21st century.” Bill Butler states, “Self-leadership extracts your potential and polishes it.” J.D. Meier from Microsoft says, “What makes self-leadership so powerful is that it applies to you.? It’s personal.? It’s you at your best.? Self-leadership is a way to lead yourself from the inside out…”

What Others Say About Self-Leadership

Self-leadership is widely recognized as an essential component of effective leadership. Here are a few quotes from experts on leadership illustrating the importance of self-leadership:

Personal leadership (Self-Leadership) is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them.—Stephen Covey

Self-leadership is the practice of intentionally influencing one's thinking, feelings, and actions toward one's objectives.—Andrew Bryant

Being a self-leader means serving as chief, captain, or CEO of one’s life.—Peter Drucker

Leadership is about creating a vision and inspiring others to work towards it. But it starts with personal leadership— knowing who you are, what you stand for, and what you want to achieve.”—Simon Sinek

Baker, T.B. (2025). Successful Self-Leadership: An Inside-Out Approach in Seven Steps. New York: Business Expert Press.

What Are The Seven Practices Of Self-Leadership?

Know Thyself

Self-awareness is consciously recognizing and understanding one’s thoughts, emotions, strengths, weaknesses, values, and behaviors. Knowing oneself involves an ongoing, reflective process where one gains insights into one's motivations and reactions. Self-awareness is foundational to self-leadership, enabling one to make purposeful decisions, set meaningful goals, and successfully navigate challenges.

Discover True North

Discover True North involves individuals identifying and aligning their core values and personal vision with their thoughts and actions. “True north” serves as an internal compass, guiding a leader in their decision-making, goal-setting, and overall direction. This practice is rooted in the idea that authentic leadership is about knowing and behaving consistently with one’s fundamental principles and aspirations.

Build Strengths

Building strengths involves deliberately identifying, developing, and leveraging unique talents. Instead of dwelling on weaknesses, this practice encourages individuals to build upon their capabilities to maximize personal and professional effectiveness. Build Strengths, apart from the intentional efforts to amplify one’s innate talents, encompasses self-awareness (Know Thyself) and continuous learning (Keep Growing).

Keep Growing

Know Thyself, Discover True North, and Build Strengths are practices under the fourth practice: Keep Growing. Growing oneself involves continuous learning, self-improvement, and personal development. It means embracing new experiences, seeking feedback, and acquiring new skills and knowledge to improve ourselves. Keep Growing requires a willingness to step out of one’s comfort zone, take prudent risks, and be open to new perspectives and ideas.

Show Intent

Show Intent involves purposefully communicating and demonstrating one’s intentions, values, and objectives. This practice emphasizes transparency, authenticity, and clearly articulating the leader’s goals and direction.

Self-Regulate

Self-regulation involves the conscious management and control of one’s emotions, behaviors, and reactions. This practice is about developing EQ and applying strategies to stay composed, focused, and resilient in facing challenges and adversity.

Be Curious

Being curious involves a mindset of exploration, inquiry, and openness to learning. This practice includes seeking knowledge, asking questions, and approaching situations inquiringly. Being curious is fundamental for personal and professional growth (Keep Growing) and the ability to adapt and continually improve.

I Have Some Questions For You

Please take a look at the definitions of the seven self-leadership practices above.

• Which of these practices could you honestly say that you are practicing?
• Which practices require more attention?
• How will you go about developing more self-leadership?

These three questions focus your attention on your personal leadership or self-leadership. As Jim Rohn once said:

Work harder on yourself than your job.

Feel free to share this approach with your colleagues.

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