Here is a quote – If you look to lead, invest at least 40 percent of your time managing yourself – your ethics, character, principles, purpose, motivation and conduct. Invest at least 30 percent managing those with authority over you, and 15 percent managing your peers.
—Dee Ward Hock
One doesn’t become a leader in a day. It’s a gradual process that begins at birth and continues for the rest of our lives. The path to leadership has self-management as one of its primary components. Some of us learn something new every day to become more confident in our approach, more assertive in our behavior and more impressive in our outlook, which eventually allows us to manage our professional, family and social life in our own ways.
Directly related to self-discipline and self-awareness, self-management is at the core of exemplary leadership. Someone who manages their own self properly and projects it honestly before others gain respect, appreciation and, of course, a good reputation. Hence, to become the leaders of tomorrow, it becomes imperative for everyone to work on their productivity and the profitability of their actions, which is not possible without self-management. This attribute has its peculiar set of expectations and responsibilities, some of which include being self-aware, accountable, trustworthy, transformable, useful, sensible, and more.
John D Politis, a scholar from Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai, UAE, carried out extensive research on self-management leadership, wherein he found that the concept of self-management comprises several factors, such as ‘stimulant’ dimensions of the work environment for creativity and so on. Furthermore, self-management is essential for developing greater freedom, having a sense of autonomy, bringing about behavioral improvements, and gaining self-motivation for accomplishing various tasks and goals. Social setups, work environments, relationships, family background, level of self-confidence and several other factors also play a pivotal role in shaping and defining the leadership traits of an individual.
Understanding the types of self-management
At different levels, we need to manage our skills, strengths, and aptitude differently. Managing everything by assuming control of the entire situation works fine in a crisis scenario where we cannot deviate from preset norms and rules; however, we do need to understand the skill level of our peers and subordinates to exercise such management effectively.
If you have a long-term goal in mind, you cannot help but adopt an authoritative style of self-management wherein directions are clear and credible. Next, the pace-setting style of self-management generally involves leading with example. In such a style of self-management, you are always ready to take the bull by its horns rather than expecting others to do it for you.
Decoding the dimensions of self-management
Self-management has several components that come together to bring about perceivable change in the personality of an individual. Self-observation, undeniably, features prominently on the list of those components. One needs to keep reminding themselves of higher goals at all times while observing the outcomes of smaller actions. In doing so, a person can always check behavioral changes in themselves and effect improvements as well.
Next, one should practise self-reinforcement just to ensure that the current efforts to realize better self-management are more effective than all those previous ones. Last but not least, the concept of self-management relies on self-criticism through thoughtful self-analysis. Self-criticism allows one to avoid pitfalls and celebrate successes.
What makes self-management a critical set of skills?
Those who are able to manage their self can understand the relationship between commitment and competence, capacity, and ability. Before committing to a task, it’s sensible to have a clear idea of our competence. Similarly, our willingness to carry out a task may not always be at par with our ability to perform it. We simply need to be aware of our capable self and accordingly, manage it in such a way that our efforts always complement our skills, competence, and dedication to perform.
Self-management, therefore, is all about becoming your own leader by training your mental, physical, social and intellectual faculties in different ways. So, keep a sharp eye on your journey to self-leadership and make it a point not to stop before you achieve your milestones. Be ready to break new ground, explore the managerial capabilities within, and rise up to announce yourself with positivity. Leadership attributes, thus acquired, will stay with you forever and continue inspiring others.
