If you want to do a stellar job of leading others, it is vital you start by leading yourself in two ways.
1. Have Personal Accountability
Research suggests that people who know themselves well — who understand who they are and what their values, strengths, and weaknesses are – make the best leaders. They have integrity, they hold themselves to high standards, and they are willing to be personally accountable for their decisions and actions.
Whether things go well or not, they take the appropriate credit or blame.
They realize that they must consistently model accountability, so others will understand the importance of being accountable, too, and they know how to demonstrate personal accountability for their own work.
2. Be a Continuous Learner
Self-leadership involves learning, and successful leaders are continuous learners. They never stop learning. They do not rely on their past performance as the sole source of deciding how to handle current situations.
They keep looking for new approaches and seeking new perspectives and information as they face current challenges.
They know that learning makes people “winners” — individuals who continue to grow and evolve to meet life’s newest twists, turns, and inevitable challenges.