How proficient are you at managing yourself? It’s an important consideration for those of us who lead others in today’s rapidly changing world.
This concept of managing yourself—or developing a deeper understanding of yourself—isn’t a new idea. Ancient Greek philosophers Socrates and Aristotle both placed importance on self-knowledge.
Socrates famously said, “Know thyself” and subsequently, Aristotle said, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” Their approach to HOW to gain self-knowledge was different, with Socrates relying on questioning and Aristotle on observation and analysis.
Self-awareness and self-management are critical skills for contemporary leaders because they help to:
This is important when organizations around the world face uncertainty and complex challenges.
Using a Framework for Managing Yourself
The late economist, educator and author Peter F. Drucker is considered by many to be one of the greatest—if not the greatest—management thinkers of all time. He wrote more than 30 essays for the HBR.
In his 1999 article, “Managing Oneself,” Drucker posited that leaders who deepen their understanding of themselves will be able to take charge of their own careers by being their own chief executive officer and lead others more effectively.
To put this idea of managing yourself into practice, Drucker directed leaders to explore five questions.
1. What are my strengths?
Document decisions you make for several months, noting the outcome you anticipate and then the actual outcome. Through feedback analysis, you can see patterns. What results can you drive well? What abilities could you develop to get better results? Are there any bad habits that are barriers to success? What strengths can you build on?
2. How do I work?
What conditions are most conducive to performing well at work? Consider things like: Do I absorb information better by reading it or discussing it? Do I prefer to work with a group or alone? Am I better at making decisions or advising? How do I perform under stress?
3. What are my values?
Most of us work best when the organization’s vison and values line up with our own. What are your ethics? What are your personal core values? How do they fit with your organization’s ethics and values?
4. Where do I belong?
Think about your answers to the first three questions. What work environment best suits your strengths, preferred work style and values? Where would what you bring make you a high performer?
5. What can I contribute?
After reflecting on your strengths, work style and values, what can you do to drive organizational success? What do you bring to different situations or challenges?
Drucker argued that even if the answers leaders have to these five questions seem obvious, gaining clarity in these areas fuels confident, aligned leadership.
Exploring the Five Questions Further
As executive leadership coaches, we help organizations develop talented, resilient, confident and successful leaders.
Here are our ideas to explore Drucker’s five questions and gain deeper understanding of yourself as a leader.
1. Know your strengths
There are different tools that help leaders understand themselves and others better. At Padraig, we use the Everything DiSC Assessments with our clients. Knowing how your personality style interacts with others is a powerful tool, particularly when undertaking change management, leading a new team or dealing with unhealthy conflict. Peer-to-peer learning, coaching and keeping a journal are also very helpful ways for leaders to uncover strengths and areas that could use development. The better you are at managing yourself, the better you will be at leadership development self-care (and avoiding burnout).
2. Understand how you work best
Do you need structure or autonomy? Solo time or collaboration? Is setting boundaries at work a challenge? Aligning workflow with energy cycles is an important strategy for productivity. For example, one leader shifted meeting schedules from later in the day to first thing in the morning and saw a boost in effectiveness. Learning to delegate effectively can help to create a more balanced workload for leaders while also training up team members.
3. Clarify your values
Drucker’s seminal article about self-management called for integrity and congruence. Values-driven decision-making can be a good compass for complex situations. It’s important for leaders to understand what happens when personal values are not aligned with the organizational values (and what happens when they are aligned!). Some of our clients have found creating a personal vision statement with our free, downloadable template to be helpful as a guiding principle for their career. Hiring a one-to-one coach can also help leaders clarify their values.
4. Know where you belong
As leaders, we excel when we’re in the right environment—working with a cohesive team at an organization that aligns with our values and offers an inclusive workplace culture. Feeling that you fit well in a role transcends emotion; we contribute more and have a sense of overall well-being when it’s safe to share, be creative and challenge ideas. This is why, for example, one client left a high-paying leadership role to work at a smaller company for a smaller wage that was a better cultural fit for her values.
5. Define your contribution
Shift from reactive to proactive leadership, moving from “What do I do about this situation?” to “What results can I meaningfully deliver?” Build resilience and encourage outcome-oriented thinking that is tied to strengths, values and context so that stressors are fuel for growth and innovation.
The most impactful leaders start by understanding themselves before leading others. Managing yourself first helps to build your executive presence and align work with your company’s purpose.
Click the pop-up below to download our complimentary self-reflection worksheet or contact us to talk about the value of one-to-one leadership coaching..
Coach’s Questions
How has your self-management affected your leadership of others? Which of these five areas do you need to revisit right now? What steps can you take this week to improve managing yourself?
