Want to Be a Great Leader? Start With This First

​Today, I want to welcome you to a very special series that I believe will change how you see yourself and your future.

We are starting a journey together about Leading Self and trust me, this is going to be one of the most important things you will ever learn.

What is leadership really?

John Maxwell, one of the greatest teachers on leadership, says something very simple but powerful: “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.”

Think about that for a moment. When you can influence someone else, when your words or actions can help change how they think or what they do, that is leadership. You do not need a big title or a corner office. You just need to be able to influence others in a positive way.

But here is the amazing part: before you can influence anyone else, you must first learn to influence yourself. This is what we call self-leadership your ability to influence and guide your own life in the right direction.

My self leadership story

Let me share something personal with you. I never really learned or read about leadership until over 25 years ago. I was just living my life, going through each day without really understanding how to make myself better.

Then something wonderful happened. I came across a book by John Maxwell called “Leadership 101 – Communication.” It was like God knew I did not know anything about leadership, so He started me at the very basics,101, just like school!

This book opened my mind to so much that I did not know. You know how they say “the more you know, the more you realize you do not know”? That was exactly what happened to me. I wanted to learn more and more.

So I got into more leadership books by John Maxwell. I read others in the Leadership 101 series and “Your Roadmap to Success.” Each book taught me something new about how to become a better person and leader.

Leadership moment

After reading all these books, I had a problem. I needed a place to start using what I had learned. Because I was still quite shy and quiet at this time in my life, the only person I could practice these leadership skills on was myself.

So I started leading myself. I began to see how I could use the things I learned in my own life. It is true that learning is not complete until you actually use what you learn.

During this time, I learned to lead myself in three very important areas:

Time – I started making a schedule to decide ahead of time how I wanted to use my time. Instead of just letting each day happen to me, I chose how to spend my hours. This helped me get so much more done and feel better about my days.

Money – I started using a budget to plan how to spend my money. I can still remember those white envelopes I used! I wrote different things on each one like “Tithe,” “Transport,” “Feeding,” and other expenses. This taught me to be smart with my money instead of just spending without thinking.

Fitness – I started exercising more. I did mostly simple exercises at home at first, but it was much more than I had done before. I began to feel stronger and healthier.

These might seem like small things, but they changed everything for me. When I learned to influence myself in these areas, I became a different person. I felt more confident, more in control, and ready to help influence others too.

Why self-leadership matters so much

Here is what I want you to understand: you cannot give what you do not have. If you cannot lead yourself, how can you lead others? If you cannot influence your own choices and actions, how can you influence someone else to make better choices?

Self-leadership is where everything begins. It is the foundation that everything else in your life is built on. When you learn to lead yourself well, you become the kind of person others want to follow and learn from.

Action Point

• This week, I want you to pick just one area of your life where you want to start leading yourself better. It could be your time, your money, your health, or anything else that matters to you.
  Write it down and make one small plan for how you will influence yourself to improve in that area. Remember, small steps lead to big changes.

I am excited to continue this journey with you. Next week, we will talk more about specific ways you can grow in leadership.

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