Lead Self First Before Leading Others

Introduction

Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.¹

Leo Tolstoy

It is quite astonishing to have leaders who declare collective meaning and set direction within their organizations, and yet many of these same leaders are unable to express the equivalent for their own lives. Indeed, that is the case. Research uncovered that fewer than 20 percent of organizational leaders have a strong sense of their individual purpose, and even fewer can distill their purpose into a concrete statement.² This is an interesting finding that bears consideration. Although the leaders can recite the mission, vision, and values of their organizations, the clear majority does not have a set of established personal reference markers. ...