The greatest leaders dedicate themselves to self-mastery because they know that it is far more difficult to inspire, guide, or empower others, if they aren’t walking the talk themselves. Internal leadership is the foundation of external success. That is why developing your inner CEO is important for effective leadership.
5 Habits to Lead Yourself Before You Lead Others
Your ability to lead starts with you. To become a better leader, you must become more aware of yourself and what you need to do to expand your leadership skills.
Here are 5 habits of successful leaders that you can use to develop your inner CEO:
- Start your day like a leader. The way you start your day effects the rest of it. When you get off to a bad start, it often causes you to react to every negative thing that happens, rather than responding to each incident in a calm and mindful way.
So, the question becomes: What do you need to do to set yourself up to have the best day possible?
Here are some ideas that might help:
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- Before you get out of bed in the morning, think of three things or people you are truly grateful for and explore why you are grateful for them. It’s a feel-good way to start your day before your feet even hit the floor.
- Feed your mind with positivity. Learn something new, read, watch videos or listen to something that has an uplifting message and/or makes you feel good. That positive boost often has great staying power throughout the day. (CLICK HERE to get access to my ATM. The Abundance, Tips and Mentoring will help you develop a positive mindset and your inner CEO!)
- Set an intention that supports your long-term vision or your values. When we take the time to focus our minds on what we want, our brains filter the information coming in, helping us to take control of our lives by placing our attention on things that can bring us our desire. Because of that, we might see an article, overhear a conversation or tune into something that presents exactly the opportunity we want.
- Energize your body. Some type of movement or exercise first thing in the morning can help you release stress and invigorate your body, which in turn will get your mind going too. Find the things that work for you. It could be dancing to two or three of your favorite songs, hitting the yoga mat, taking a walk or lifting weights at the gym. As long as it gets you moving and you like doing itit is something you will do consistently, you’re set!
Even the smallest of changes can make a big difference to your inner CEO and help you become a better leader. Pick one thing to start and then build on your morning personal leadership habits from there.
2. Lead Your Inner Dialogue. High achievers often have harsh inner critics. Sometimes that can give you the push you need to get motivated for the next task you have to tackle, but more often than not, it chips away at your confidence and causes self-doubt and self-sabotage. That is not going to help you develop your successful leadership strategies.
Here are my go-to tips when I find myself dealing with my harsh inner-critic.
- I replace any self-doubt with forward focused talk. It’s just as easy to imagine positive outcomes as it is to dwell on the negative ones. As soon as I notice my inner critic getting loud, I stop the thought spiral and shift to a thought that is positive and supports the future I want. (A Sharon Lechter Fun Tip: Some people have found it very effective to give your inner critic a name and a silly voice. That little change takes the edge off the self-criticism and makes them smile as they shift their minds in a much more positive and supportive direction.)
- I think of something I am truly grateful for. It helps me to quickly shift into a positive state. From that place, I can make much more effective assessments and decisions, which helps me get far better results.
- If I am still struggling to move forward, I think about how I would coach mentor someone else to take the first step to get the results they want. We are typically much kinder and compassionate to others than we are to ourselves. When you can develop your self-compassion, you will find ways to hold yourself accountable for taking the actions that will help you build the future you want in a kinder and more effective way.
3. Take full ownership of your time and energy. Both are finite resources. When you become much more aware of your energy levels throughout the day and how your energy is impacted by the things you do, you can come up with far more effective ways to get things done.
- Protect your calendar like a CEO protects capital. The things you say ‘yes’ to directly impact the things you say ‘no’ to, and vice versa. The more you protect your time, the more time you will have to do the things that really matter to you.
- Delegate like a pro. Take the time to think about the things that lift your energy or sap it away. As you become more aware, start delegating the things that aren’t in your wheelhouse to someone who has the skillset to do it more effectively, and put your focus where you make the greatest impact. You will find that you are getting a lot more done in less time, and your team is happier too!
- Eliminate distractions and say no without guilt. Take a look at the bigger picture and what you want to accomplish. What events, actions and people support that? What doesn’t? It’s okay to say no to the things that don’t support what you want in your life and your future. While it can be hard to limit your time with toxic people, especially when they are family members or people you work with, it’s imperative for your mental, emotional and physical well-being to do it as much as you can.
- Prioritize tasks that build your personal brand and legacy. Both your brand and your legacy are built in the actions you take during the day and through every interaction you have with others. It’s usually when we are under stress that we don’t show up in a way that supports the personal brand we want. That is because stress causes us to react to the situation rather than respond to it. For a more consistent personal brand, focus on the things that help you build it and by doing so, you will also build your legacy.
4. Make decisions with clarity and confidence. The best CEOs keep the bigger picture of the future they are building in the foreground and apply it to all they do. It makes the decision-making process faster and much more decisive. You can support this further by:
- Practicing values-based decision-making. When you are feeling out of alignment with a situation or another person, it’s often because one or more of your values are being compromised. Conversely, when you are feeling great, one or more of your values are being met and/supported in the situation or by another person. The more you can live by your values and make decisions with them in mind, the happier and more effective you will be.
- Learning to assess risk and trust your judgment. When you are making decisions, especially major ones in your life and/career, take the time to weigh the risks before you take action. If you feel like you are too close to the situation, ask a mentor or a trusted friend or coworker to help you work it through. But no matter what anyone else says, listen to your gut. Our bodies have great wisdom, and when your gut is telling you something isn’t quite right, trust it! Anytime I have overridden my intuition because of the ‘facts’ that were presented, it hasn’t gone well. Trust your instinct. It will never steer you wrong.
- Reflecting on past decisions to strengthen future leadership skills. Every choice you’ve made had a result, both good and bad. When you take the time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t and how the decision you made created the outcome you got, it will help you adjust your approach in the future to get even better results.
5. Communicate with purpose. When you think about the people you admire most, they communicate with purpose. They use that purpose to guide their interactions and the ideas they convey are clear with little ambiguity. This is a skill we all need to cultivate if we want to become great leaders. To do it:
- Speak with clarity, confidence, and direction. Before your interactions or before you make a decision, think about the outcome you want. What do you need to say or do to make sure you get that outcome? Outline all the steps or agreements that need to be made to support it. When it’s possible, practice what you want to say ahead of time to make sure you speak in a concise and clear way. (A Sharon Lecter Pro Leadership Tip: The best leaders are great listeners and take into account the ideas and needs of other people. It doesn’t mean you will act on everyone else’s thoughts, but people feel good when their leaders acknowledge them, even when they don’t get exactly what they want.)
- Use intentional language that reinforces your role as a leader. The words we choose and the way we say things matters—a lot! As a leader, you want people to see your confidence in your ideas and direction. The language you use must reflect that. For example, “I think we should…” isn’t as decisive as, “Here are the next steps we can take….” The more self-assured you are when you communicate, the easier it is to get buy in from the people around you.
- Develop strong listening skills to increase influence. Active listening shows respect for the other person, encourages open communication and allows you to gather valuable insights. This will help you identify potential problems early, inspire innovation and make better decisions as a leader. Active listening is one of the greatest habits of successful CEOs, and it will help you become the leader you really want to be.
As you put these things into place and develop your inner CEO, you will see that people react differently to you. You will have more positive interactions, and because of them, people will view you as the kind of person they want as a leader.
If you want an even faster way to improve your leadership skills, work with a successful mentor. They can share what worked for them, what didn’t and what you can do to improve your personal leadership habits and skills.
I would love to be that mentor for you. To learn more about my Master Mentor Program, CLICK HERE.